My Silver Lining
by XxAnimeCutiexX
Summary: "Every cloud has a silver lining," is what her mother used to say. Anastasia Vasiliev didn't really understand what she meant until the day the bombs fell from the sky. Because even though it was the worst day of her life, it did bring her to the twins...more specifically to him. Pietro/OC. (Spoilers for Age of Ultron)
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hey guys! This is my second story that I am posting on this site, so I am very excited to share it with you. I actually came up with the idea of this story through a dream I had after watching Age of Ultron. Pietro stole my heart lol. Anyways, please let me know what you think! I'd really appreciate it :)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own The Avengers, except for my own original characters.**

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The streets of Sokovia were bustling with people as nine-year old Anastasia Vasiliev made her way deep into the city. Her strawberry blonde hair was held in a braid and her pristine blue eyes did not shift from the direction she was headed. The path she walked was not a foreign one, for she had grown accustomed to this trail over the last couple of weeks. It was a dangerous road for any child to walk alone; filled with rubble and debris. However, ever since the bombings happened, Anastasia had no other choice.

She remembered the events of that day clearly. She was with her parents in the living room watching television; a normal routine they did almost every night. Suddenly the TV turned to static, but before they could further investigate, there was a loud explosion causing the walls around them to collapse. Anastasia could remember the heavy dust swirling in the air that night as her parents tried to carry her to safety. Sadly though, before they could reach an exit, a second mortar shell hit and detonated within the house. As a final attempt to save their daughter's life, both her parents shielded her from the explosion and the falling fragments of cement.

Unfortunately, her parents did not survive the night.

Anastasia loved her parents deeply and without their guidance and comfort, she felt lost. She mourned their deaths for days and cried herself to sleep most nights, never leaving the vicinity of her broken home. It was only up until a few days ago that she came to the realization that she had to move on if she was going to survive.

She had come across a variety of tough choices for a child her age, but has somehow managed to endure on her own.

The young girl continued making her way into the city, avoiding as much wreckage from the bombings as she could. Her once beautiful country was now half destroyed with buildings crumbled all over the ground. She watched as the many new homeless citizens of Sokovia huddled together in the dirt, some sleeping and others begging for food. It was a sad sight.

Thankfully, obtaining food was not something Anastasia had to worry about just yet. She put her hand inside the pocket of the large battered coat she was wearing and when she felt the coins at her fingertips, she let out a smile. Anastasia was a rather clever girl. Although it was risky, the nine-year old would sometimes go back inside her shattered home and take out valuable trinkets to sell at the market. The money she received was then used to buy herself food. Her family wasn't particularly wealthy, but they were well-off enough to own costly items.

As Anastasia ranged closer to the market place in hopes of buying food, a sudden shrill scream cut through the air.

"THIEF!"

Anastasia stopped and turned her attention toward the direction of the scream. It sounded like it was coming from the corner bakery. She could spot two figures moving rapidly against the crowd. One being much larger than the other.

"Stop you thief! Give back what you stole!" shouted the bigger individual as they tried to keep up with the bandit.

Anastasia looked for the so-called "thief" and was rather surprised to see a boy about her age running straight at her. She locked her eyes on him, but by the time she realized that he wasn't stopping, there was no time to get out of the way.

"Watch out!"

The two children collided into one another and tumbled onto the ground. A basket of fresh bread scattered across the floor as the dark haired boy swiftly tried to pick it back up. Once all the bread was collected, the boy stood up and left without even uttering an apology. Anastasia rose up as well and watched him as he ran into the alleyway behind her, concealing himself behind a dumpster.

"Excuse me little girl,"

The nine-year old instantly turned her attention to the masculine voice calling to her. She came face to face with a police officer; he was probably the one chasing after the boy because he seemed out of breath.

"Have you seen a boy about this tall…" he motioned with his hand, "run by here?"

For a moment, Anastasia glanced over at the boy hiding in the shadows. He gave her an anxious look - a look that reminded her much of herself. She wasn't sure if it was his gaze or something else that made a strange feeling stir within her. Whatever the reason, she was convinced she didn't want to turn him in.

"No, I'm sorry sir." she replied.

The man sighed and tilted his hat, believing her lie. "Alright, carry on."

Once the officer was completely out of sight, the young boy slowly stepped out from behind the dumpster. Anastasia took this moment to fully observe the mysterious boy she saved. He looked to be around her age, maybe a year or two older. He had dark brown hair and a pair of electric blue eyes. Much like her, he was also wearing torn up clothes.

"Thank you for not ratting me out." acknowledged the boy, finally speaking up.

Anastasia smiled at him sweetly. This was probably one of the first normal interactions she's had with another kid since the terrorist attacks. "You're welcome."

Looking at her smile, the boy raised his hand to scratch the back of his head bashfully. "And I'm sorry for running into you…"

"It's okay," Anastasia then looked at the basket of bread he was clutching in his arms. "But why were you stealing so much bread?"

Before the boy could respond, another voice was heard from within the alley.

"Brother, is everything okay?"

Anastasia turned to her right and saw yet another child about her age. The young girl's physical features were similar to the boy's. She had matching dark brown hair and light green eyes.

It finally made sense to Anastasia as to why the boy was stealing so much bread. He needed it to feed his hungry sister and presumably himself as well.

"Wanda, I told you to wait for me." The boy scolded at his sister.

"I know, but I got worried." Wanda walked up to her brother and held his hand nervously. Her eyes then fell upon the stranger standing before her. "Who is this?"

"My name is Anastasia." The nine-year old said while nervously playing with her hair. The last time she was probably around other kids would be when she was still in school… She hated to admit it, but she actually missed school.

"Hello," The girl waved, "I am Wanda and this is my brother Pietro."

Pietro then raised his arm and showed his sister what he had just acquired. "She helped me get away with stealing this bread."

When Wanda saw the basket full of bread, her face lit up like it was Christmas morning. "This is amazing Pietro! With this we'll be good for the whole week!"

Without any hesitation, Wanda grabbed a loaf of bread and began to nibble on it. Seeing her begin to eat, reminded Anastasia of why she was here in the first place. She reached inside her pocket to get her coins, but was shocked to find her pocket completely empty! She concluded that it must've fallen out when she and Pietro crashed into each other. As if on cue, her stomach growled loudly, only worsening the situation.

"Oh no…" she mumbled to herself.

Pietro watched the girl silently and felt a plague of guilt when he saw her woeful expression. Clearly she was upset about something and he felt like he owed the girl for her help. When he heard her stomach growl, he immediately knew how to repay her.

"Here."

Much to Anastasia's surprise, Pietro held out to her a loaf of bread. He went through a lot of trouble to get these for him and his sister, so Anastasia felt hesitant to take what little food they had away from them.

"A-Are you sure?"

He nodded at her silently. Unlike his sister, he seemed very serious. Anastasia had not seen this boy crack a smile yet.

"Thank you!" She squeaked while taking the loaf of bread. She was happy to know that even after all this tragedy, there was still compassion left in people.

Subsequently, the three children then made their way deeper into the alley, in case the officer were to comeback searching for them. Once they found a clean spot to rest, they all sat down to munch on their food. They ate in a comfortable silence until Anastasia's curiosity got the better of her.

"So where are your mom and dad?"

The twins looked at each other sullenly before looking back at the ground. There was a long period of silence before Wanda spoke up.

"They died…"

Pietro snarled at the memory, fire now fueling his veins. "They were killed when a bomb fell into our apartment complex and exploded. We almost died too when another shell hit our floor, but this one didn't go off. It just sat there in the rubble, three feet from our faces as we hid under the bed. On the side of the shell there was a name painted on: Stark."

"We've been alone ever since." Wanda added.

Anastasia listened to their sad story and discovered that she had more in common with these two than she thought.

"My mom and dad died too." She admitted mournfully, "We were watching TV when all of a sudden bombs started falling from the sky. My parents protected me, but…they didn't make it. I've been on my own since then too."

Another wave of silence over took them as they stared at the ground. This was a terrible situation for anyone to be in, let alone children.

"I do think things will get better though." the nine-year old stated, "The future is scary, but it is also bright. I believe that in time, things will fall into place."

Maybe it was just a child's innocence, but Wanda and Pietro appreciated her optimism. It was a nice change from all the misery around them.

Anastasia then noticed the sky above them darkening, signaling it was time for her to go home. She did not like to walk back alone in the dark.

She stood up and patted the dirt off her clothes. "It's going to get dark soon, so I should go. Thank you for the food."

Wanda's face fell at the departure of her new friend. "Oh, ok… bye."

Anastasia looked down at the twins and wondered about their wellbeing. Maybe she could see them again soon. "Where do you guys live?"

"Anywhere really… we make do with what we have." Pietro answered.

The thought of them sleeping on the ground, with no roof over their heads, broke Anastasia's heart. She did not want to leave her new friends like this.

That's when an idea suddenly struck.

"Why don't you two stay with me?" asked the girl with a determined stance. "My family had a shed in our backyard and it wasn't destroyed by the missiles. It is pretty big and that's where I've been living."

"Really?!" Wanda gasped at the proposition, filled with excitement. She turned to her brother for guidance. "Pietro?"

Pietro blinked at the young girl a few times before registering his thoughts. She sure was a weird one, he thought. With so much misfortune around her, she had managed to maintain a cheerful attitude and now offered two strangers a home.

All he could say was, "Are you sure?"

"Yes! We could be like our own little family." She beamed while looking at the twins. "Us against the world."

For the first time since the bombings, Pietro finally found a shred of hope. He looked at the kindhearted girl in front of him and let out his first real smile in a long time.

"I like the sound of that."

And so, the twins followed Anastasia back to her shed on the outskirts of town. The three of them formed a special bond that night to never separate from one another and they kept that promise for years to come.

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 **Next chapter should be out soon! :)**


	2. Opportunity

**A/N: OMG! I got 63 followers and 21 favorites after only posting one chapter! Thank you guys so much! You rock! I hope I don't let you down and hope you guys enjoy the direction my story is heading. Please let me know what you think! And thanks to those of you who left me a review. Your reviews really motivate me to write more lol.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own The Avengers, except for my own original characters.**

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As the years went by, Anastasia and the twins grew older, but never apart. They remained inseparable, always caring about one another. They were all they had left in the world, so they did mostly everything together. Their love made them very protective of each other, especially Pietro. He was the oldest of the three and so he felt responsible for the two girls. And even though Anastasia was not truly related to the twins by blood, she never once felt left behind.

During their years growing up, the three of them eventually learned about the origin of the bombings. The name painted on the shell: 'Stark', stood for **Stark Industries** which was an American company led by Tony Stark, a.k.a Iron Man. The traumatic experience they suffered as children gave the trio a great hatred for America and the Avengers, which was the team that Iron Man was a part of.

Pietro and Wanda's hatred for the Avengers always ran deeper than Anastasia's though. It was the one thing they did not all fully agree on, but she kept that information to herself since she did not want to offend them. She would sometimes come across rare magazines that actually defended the Avengers and displayed their works of justice. One of the most recent articles she read was about how they saved New York City from some sort of alien invasion. Nonetheless, she was still very confused about the whole topic. A part of her still hated them for the pain they caused her the night her parents died, but there was also a part of her that felt like maybe they weren't all that bad.

Things in Sokovia, however, did not get any better. Foreign powers began occupying Sokovia, driving the country into a state of turmoil. Anastasia, Pietro, and Wanda defended their home eagerly by taking part in frequent riots to drive the foreign forces away from their streets. They would stand next to each other and shout at the police while angrily raising up posters in protest.

Little did they know, that their lives would soon change after meeting a particular individual.

His name was Doctor List. They first met him when he approached a group of protesters on the streets. He began by introducing himself and saying he worked with a man called Baron Wolfgang von Strucker. He spoke about how one should not look to their government to protect their rights, but should fight for them personally. He claimed he could offer them the opportunity to achieve the power needed to free their country from war. He promised the crowd a great future if they would volunteer for his experiments.

Before he left, Doctor List announced that whoever wanted to volunteer should meet with him in this same spot tomorrow morning. That was the last thing he mentioned before he departed, leaving a baffled group of protesters to consider his proposals.

Immediately, Pietro and Wanda decided that they wanted to volunteer, both determined to finally free their country. Even Anastasia, who was pumped up after his thrilling speech, decided to volunteer for the experiments.

All was well as they made their way home together that night, excitement in their veins for tomorrow morning. Once they arrived at the shed, the three of them did their usual nightly routine before getting ready for bed. Even though they grew bigger and the shed got smaller, they still all managed to sleep comfortably together. They each whispered their 'goodnights' to one another and fell into a blissful state of sleep.

All but one.

As hard as she tried, Anastasia could not fall asleep. She felt a restlessness within her and it caused her stomach to be in knots. She turned in bed, trying to find a comfortable position, but nothing helped. She just had too much going through her mind right now. She figured the best thing she could do for herself was get some fresh air; maybe that would calm her down.

As she stepped outside, Anastasia felt the cool night air lightly hit her skin. She let out a small shiver as she sat with her back against the shed. A low, shimmering moon hovered tenuously in the darkened sky. Since her shed was on the outskirts of town, there was enough darkness to allow the glistening stars to surface. Anastasia took great comfort in star gazing ever since she was a little girl. It gave her a sense of security to imagine her parents looking down at her from the heavens. However, tonight that was not enough to ease her thoughts.

 _Is this really a good idea?_

Anastasia sighed, her head swirling with worry. She couldn't stop thinking about the events that happened earlier today. Dr. List appeared to be trustworthy, but all his promises seemed too good to be true. Experimenting on human beings never sounds like a good idea. Sure she agreed to volunteer at first, but now she was having doubts. She wished she could be as confident about this as the twins. She loved her country just as much as Pietro and Wanda, but was this truly the only way to save it? By gaining artificial powers?

"What are you doing out here?"

Anastasia didn't have to turn around to know who that voice belonged to.

Pietro leaned against the entrance of the shed while rubbing his tired eyes. He usually slept between the two girls in order to keep them safe, so when he felt the presence of one of them missing, he woke up.

"I can't sleep." Anastasia whispered, hoping not to wake Wanda up as well.

He walked over to the troubled girl and sat on the ground beside her. "What is on your mind?"

"I just…um…" she struggled to find the right words to explain her doubts. She knew how much he was looking forward to meeting with Doctor List and she didn't want to let him down.

"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" Pietro always had a knack for knowing exactly what was on her mind. It was probably because they had grown to know each other so well over the years.

Anastasia nodded, keeping her head low.

"Anya…" he let her nickname slip through his lips as he traced his fingers along her cheek. "There is no need to worry."

She looked into his soft blue eyes which have always provided her with comfort. "You are not scared?" she asked.

"A little," he gave her his playful smile before turning serious "but I know this will be good for us. You need to be strong Anya; it won't be long before we have the power we need to fight."

She shook her head, still not fully cleared of her fears. "I just wish I could glimpse into the future and see how things turn out. It is scary not knowing what the future holds…"

"Aren't you supposed to be the positive one?" he teased, remembering how optimistic this girl was the first day they met.

"I know, I'm sorry." Anastasia released a small chuckle, but it soon turned into sobbing. She turned her face away from him in shame. "This whole thing just sounds dangerous and I cannot handle the thought of you or Wanda getting hurt."

"Anya – Anya, look at me." He soothed while reaching out and cupping her face in his hands. "Everything is going to be alright."

Anastasia placed her hand on top of his and took a deep breath. "You promise?"

Pietro softly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, his eyes never leaving hers. "I promise."

The two remained frozen in place as they lingered in each other's gaze. It was almost as if they were in a trance, neither of them moving or speaking.

All her worries were magically put at ease simply by his presence. She didn't know how, but he always managed to calm her down when she was scared. It was as if just being close to him put her in a good mood.

Pietro's blue eyes shined brightly through the darkness causing Anastasia's heart to suddenly race within her chest. She had always thought his eyes were beautiful. They were his best feature, his smile coming in a close second. She would be lying if she said she didn't find him attractive. Growing up alongside him in Sokovia, she had always thought of him as an older brother. They had always been openly affectionate with one another, but Anastasia never put too much thought into it since he was the same way with Wanda. Recently however, she noticed her feelings for him slowly began to shift into something more. She couldn't deny that the thought of being with him had crossed her mind several times… but she never accepted the possibility that perhaps he felt the same way.

Something was different about tonight though. There was an indescribable longing in his eyes that she had never seen before... Maybe, just maybe, he did feel the same.

The minute she took a glance at his lips, Anastasia could sense a bit courage bubbling up inside her. She used this bravery to her advantage as she hesitantly began to lean in. When she noticed him leaning forward as well, it gave her the final push needed to close the gap and bring her lips to his in a slow, sensual kiss. Their mouths moved against one another softly as they pressed their bodies closer to each other. Anastasia parted her lips and Pietro wasted no time as he took initiative and slipped his tongue into her mouth, deepening the kiss. This wasn't just any kiss, it was their first kiss.

And it didn't feel wrong nor did it feel weird.

It felt right.

A few seconds later, they slowly broke away to catch their breaths. Anastasia was left feeling dizzy, but it was a good kind of dizzy. It took her a second for everything to register in her mind.

 _Did we really…?_

She felt her cheeks getting warm, suddenly feeling embarrassed in front of him. She hoped things would not be awkward between them now.

But Pietro noticed the blush on her cheeks and smiled. "Come on, we should rest. We have a big day tomorrow."

He stood up and offered her his hand which she gladly took. Once she was on her feet, he tightened his grip on her and led her quietly back into the shed. Anastasia watched him from behind as a warm, strange new feeling emerged inside of her. Was this love? Had she actually fallen in love with the boy she saved from stealing bread all those years ago? She wasn't sure. That was something she needed to figure out on her own time, but right now she just enjoyed the fact that he did not let go of her hand as they entered the shed.

The two slept together, side by side, with fingers entwined. Anastasia remembered smiling to herself before going to sleep, _maybe things will be alright after all_.

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 **So what do you guys think her powers will be? Or will she not get any powers? Leave your guess in a review! xD**


	3. Powers

**A/N: Thank you all so much for following and adding my story to your favorites! I got 100+ followers already and that makes me feel so happy! I can't wait to write more for you guys and I hope it's to your liking! I can definitely say that we will be seeing the Avengers real soon and begin to follow the movie's (AoU) plot. So please leave me a review and tell me what you thought about this chapter! ENJOY!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own The Avengers, except for my own original characters.**

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The following morning Anastasia, Pietro, and Wanda made their way to the spot where they had previously encountered Doctor List. Surprisingly, as the minutes went by, more and more people began to fill the streets as well. Anastasia recognized a few faces in the crowd, no one that she knew personally, but just a few fellow protestors that she had seen in riots various times before.

 _There are a lot more people volunteering than I thought…_

Before she could gaze at the size of the crowd any longer, the person they had all been waiting for finally appeared. Doctor List walked toward the vast group with a big smile on his face. He congratulated them for having the courage to volunteer for their country and then directed them to follow him. Anastasia held onto the twins' hands tightly as they trailed behind the doctor silently.

Eventually they found themselves on the outskirts of town, deep within the forest. There, on top of a small mountain, stood a mysterious, hidden facility. Once inside the facility, the air seemed to turn cold and musky. The hallways were darkened and the cracked grey walls only further added to the eerie demeanor.

"Welcome!"

Everyone's attention immediately snapped in the direction of the voice. It was coming from a tall, bald man who was wearing a dark uniform and a monocle on his right eye. Doctor List broke away from the group and stood next to the man proudly.

"I am Baron Wolfgang von Strucker and this is my facility. Thank you all for volunteering for these experiments. I can assure you that your country will deeply be indebted to your bravery."

Strucker signaled for the group to move as they followed him and Doctor List down a hall and around a corner. When he stopped, he stood in front of a grand hallway that had numerous doors running down both sides.

"We'll start with you all making a single file line." He announced before turning towards the rooms. "One by one, each of you will be placed in a room where we will perform the procedure. So please, let us begin."

Wanda was the first of the three to speak out about the sudden announcement. "We are going to be separated?"

Pietro could see the worry in his sister's eyes and so quickly placed a hand on her cheek. "Do not be afraid Wanda. We are strong, we can do this." He then looked over to the blue eyed girl next to him, seeking support. "Right Anya?"

"Right." Anastasia, after being reassured by Pietro last night, smiled at the twins with a new sense of confidence. "We will be reunited soon."

After waiting a few minutes in line, everyone in front of them eventually disappeared into their assigned rooms. Pietro was the first of the three to be separated. Before he left though, he gave his sister a big, comforting embrace. He then turned to Anastasia and did the same to her, except before he pulled away, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. Anastasia was pleasantly surprised by this act and her shocked expression earned her a smirk from Pietro as he was led away and put into a room.

The two girls were left clutching each other's hand until it was their turn to be divided.

"It is going to be okay, sis." Anastasia whispered to Wanda while squeezing her hand.

Both girls had grown very close to one another over the years. They were both levelheaded and shared a calm personality, unlike Pietro who was rather hot-headed at times. They cared for him as much as they cared for each other and although they weren't really siblings, they bonded like sisters.

"Thank you," Wanda nodded with a smile. "See you soon."

Anastasia gave Wanda another big hug and then watched as armed men escorted her away.

Finally it was Anastasia's turn to go and so she followed one of the scientists into a room right next to Wanda's. The room was even darker than the hallway and all that was inside was a flat bed with straps. It did not look inviting at all.

"Wait here, Mr. Strucker will be with you shortly." said the scientist before disappearing out of the room.

Minutes slipped by and all Anastasia could do was stare silently at a blank wall. Without a clock in the room, she didn't know how much time she spent waiting inside. But if she had to guess, she'd say it took about 45 minutes for the doors to eventually open again. A couple of men entered the room, two of which Anastasia recognized: Wolfgang von Strucker and Doctor List.

They instructed her to lay flat on the bed while one of the scientists began to strap her hands and feet to the iron beams running alongside the bed. Anastasia did not like the idea of being strapped down, but she figured she had come too far to start arguing now.

"Bring in the Chitauri scepter." commanded Strucker at his underlings.

A scientist soon came in holding a long, golden stick with a brightly shinning blue stone at its tip. Anastasia had never seen anything like it before. Its designs were foreign and strange...it almost seemed out of this world.

 _A scepter?_

Anastasia had never given it any thought as to how she was supposed to gain these so called "powers", but she certainly didn't expect this.

Strucker smirked at the young woman and it suddenly caused chills to run down her spine. "This might hurt a little."

"Wha-"

Before she knew it, Anastasia was struck by a blue glowing energy. Her body was suddenly engulfed in pain; a type of indescribable pain which she had never experienced before. She felt herself start screaming in agony, not being able to handle the throbbing pain within her as it grew stronger. She had no control over her body whatsoever as it began having violent seizures.

From the corner of her eye, Anastasia could see Strucker and his men begin to exit the room. She tried to yell at them for help, for someone to stop this torture, but she couldn't form any words to get passed her shrieks. The door closed firmly behind them and Anastasia began to lose all hope of making it out of this room alive…but then she remembered the one thing she had to live for. Family.

 _Pietro…Wanda…_

The pain did not stop nor did her screaming, but she stayed strong and fought against the discomfort in hopes of seeing her family again. To Anastasia, it felt like her body was aching in pain for days, but thankfully it began to diminish slowly until it was completely gone; or rather absorbed.

"Ah good, another survivor." Strucker proclaimed as he opened the door to Anastasia's room; the amusement in his voice was not hard to miss. It had almost been a full 24 hours since he had last stepped inside this room.

Following him inside was Doctor List and a few armed men. They surrounded her in a circle while Strucker stood directly in front of her. Doctor List carefully unstrapped Anastasia from the bed and helped her sit upright on the thin mattress; the young woman was clearly shaken up.

"How are you feeling Miss Vasiliev?" questioned Strucker with a grin.

Besides being parched and hungry, Anastasia didn't feel any more pain. "I'm alright."

"Good, good." His grin then widened and his eyes held an unsettling glint as he asked, "So what can you do?"

"Excuse me?"

"What are your powers?" he elaborated, "Are you feeling any differently?"

Anastasia blinked at him with a confused expression. She looked down at the palms of her hands and moved her fingers. Everything seemed normal. She did not feel any differently at all.

 _What is he expecting?_

"This is very odd." Strucker mumbled to himself as he watched the girl. She appeared to have not gone through any form of transformation, unlike the other two survivors. Strucker looked at Doctor List with suspicion, "Does she have no powers?"

Doctor List seemed just as confused as him. "It appears not… How could she have survived the procedure and received no enhanced abilities?"

As the two men conversed with each other, Anastasia started to wonder what it would be like when she finally gets out of this room. She missed her family terribly and was dying to see them again. She hoped that the two of them were alright. But as Anastasia continued thinking about future events, something astonishing happened:

* * *

 **The room was suddenly clouded with fog, giving it a weird hazy look. No one around seemed to notice though, just her.**

 _Strange… What is this fog doing here? Why can't they see it?_

 **Anastasia then noticed that she was looking inside of the room at a completely different angle then where she was sitting. What freaked her out the most was the fact that she was looking at herself in the room! Was she having some sort of an outer body experience?**

 **"Such a waste…" Strucker sighed, feeling disappointment in yet another failure.**

 **Doctor List looked at Anastasia and then back at him. "What should we do with her sir?"**

 **"Dispose of her."**

 **As soon as those words were said, Anastasia could see the man behind her, raise a gun and shoot her bluntly in the back of the head.**

 _NO!_

* * *

Suddenly the fog cleared and it seemed like she was back in her body. Her hand raced to the back of her head and was relieved when she didn't feel a bloody bullet nudged inside. Although she didn't get shot, she did get a massive headache.

 _What was that? What just happened to me?_

"Such a waste…" repeated Strucker.

 _Déjà Vu?_

Doctor List looked at her and then back at Strucker, just like how she watched him do seconds before. "What should we do with her sir?"

 _Oh no…_

"Dispose of her."

Anastasia felt a rapid surge of adrenaline rush through her body as she jumped off the bed and out of the way of the oncoming bullet.

It missed her by an inch.

The bullet zipped through the air and hit the wall across, leaving behind a small hole. A silence then fell upon the room as all the men absorbed what had just happened. They all wore baffled expressions, except for Strucker who was actually very amused.

"How did you do that?" Strucker asked enthusiastically. "How did you know he was going to shoot you?"

Anastasia didn't really understand the answer to that herself, but she tried to explain it the best way she could.

"I… I saw it happen in – in my mind."

"She's a psychic." stated Doctor List rather impressed.

"Perfect." Strucker stared at the girl like she was nothing more than a weapon; a weapon he'd use to destroy his enemies.

Anastasia was then given a grey dress and ordered to change into it. Once she finished, she was immediately taken out of the room and back into the dark hallway. Strucker led her through a large lab which was filled with scientists scurrying around. Inside was the large glowing scepter that was used on her. She didn't really know where he were taking her, but when they finally reached their destination, her breath got caught in her throat.

There, caged in front of her, were Pietro and Wanda. They were separated, dressed in grey clothes, and held in two glass rooms like animals. Anastasia instantly sensed that something was wrong. Pietro was running around the room hysterically hitting the walls. It seemed like he was going out of control. What also surprised her was the fact that his once brown hair was now tinted silver. Wanda, on the other hand, looked exactly the same except for her glowing red eyes. She looked frightened, but yet was somehow levitating wooden building blocks.

"What have you done to them?" Anastasia couldn't help but gaze at her family in complete disbelief.

"The same thing we did to you." Strucker answered while smirking at the twins. "We made them special."

Strucker then took her by the arm and guided her inside another glass room located next to Pietro. It was an empty grey room, the only thing inside was a bed. Anastasia slowly walked over to it and sat down.

"This is to be your home now. You will stay here as we monitor you and help you with your new abilities."

Before Strucker exited, he took out a metal extendable bo staff and threw it at her. Anastasia caught it, but wasn't really sure what she was holding.

"What is this?"

"It's a weapon we created. It's an extendable bo staff built with resilient Chitauri technology. Both ends of that staff hold a powerful energy source, like the scepter you earlier encountered. One hit from that and your foe will be greatly injured."

Anastasia glanced at the weapon in her hands cautiously. If it was anything like the scepter, then it was surely a dangerous weapon. But why was he giving it to her? She had never used any sort of weapon before.

Luckily, Strucker answered that for her. "I figured you should learn how to protect yourself since your psychic abilities are mainly for defense. Not only will you train on how to master your power, but you will also be trained every day on proper combat skills."

With that said, Strucker was gone, leaving her alone inside. Anastasia flung the bo staff across the room and curled up in a ball. She lowered her head and began to cry. This wasn't what she wanted. She didn't want to be separated from her family. She didn't want to be trapped and watched in a lab like a mouse. As the tears rolled down her face, she prayed for things to somehow turn out for the better.

But this was where she and the twins would remain for the next few years.

* * *

 **Congrats to mun3litKnight and EmpressLupin for correctly guessing that her power dealt with time! :)**


	4. First Encounter

**A/N: Hello! As I mentioned before, this chapter will start on the movie's (AoU) plot, so if you haven't seen the movie yet, you will probably read some spoilers. I tried to keep it as close to the movie's story as possible. I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Thank you to everyone who follows and favorites my story! Please leave me a review because it truly does motivate me to write more and I also just like reading what you guys have to say :)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own The Avengers, except for my own original characters.**

* * *

Anastasia let out a heavy sigh as she fell back on her bed. She found herself staring at the ceiling again while wondering how many cracks she could find this time. Counting the cracks on the ceiling was the only form of entertainment she had to pass the time. Staying in Hydra's base was rather boring and so she always looked forward to reuniting with the twins. She would see them every day for a few hours, which in her opinion was too little, but these rules had to be followed or else they would get punished.

The past couple of years haven't all been bad though. Yes she was imprisoned, but she had come to learn so much more about herself than she ever expected. She learned that she was a fighter, and a very good one at that. Thanks to one of HYDRA's expert instructors, she was able to become highly skilled in the field of martial arts and how to properly use her bo staff in combat. Her new acquired fighting abilities combined with her psychic talent would surely make her a worthy opponent.

That was another thing she greatly improved on. Her precognition. At the very beginning, she would have visions unpredictably throughout the day. And although they sometimes still do happen randomly, she at least has better control over them now. Not only can she see a few seconds/minutes into a possible future, she can now focus on what or who she wants to see and make it happen immediately. And even though the visions can last for up to a minute in her mind, in real time it goes by in only a fraction of a second.

Pietro and Wanda have also been able to greatly control their powers. Pietro can run faster than the speed of sound and Wanda can manipulate energy and use telekinetic abilities in ways no one knew was possible. The three of them grow stronger every day, so even though Anastasia hated the fact that she and her family were trapped, she was overall grateful for the experience they gained.

Anastasia's recollection of the past two years was interrupted by a familiar fogginess in her eyes:

* * *

 **Alarms go off as explosions are heard in the distance. Men rush down the hallways to retrieve their guns while the scientists bustle around the lab in panic. A loud voice comes onto the speakers:**

" **Report to your stations immediately. This is not a drill. We are under attack."**

* * *

Anastasia blinked at the sudden vision before leaping off the bed and rushing toward her door. She didn't need to see who was attacking in the vision to know who it was. They had been preparing for this, for the day they would finally come for the scepter.

 _It is time._

"Strucker!" she yelled while banging on her door.

Usually there was a guard on the other side of her door, so it would only take them a few seconds to answer her. Sure enough the door swung open and in came her captor.

He looked rather confused by her outburst. "What is it?"

"The Avengers are coming."

Once those words were out of her mouth, Strucker's jumbled expression turned into a gratified one. He knew this day was coming. He knew he couldn't hide his experiments from the Avengers forever. But he was happy to have a ten minute head start.

"Come with me."

Anastasia followed Strucker out of her room and into the hallway. He led her to a corner and told her to wait there. She then heard his voice over the speakers advising his men to get ready for battle. She also saw him talk to Dr. List about deleting their data at the facility and transferring it to one of their secret files, so that they can escape with it.

"What is happening?"

Anastasia turned to her right and saw Wanda and Pietro making their way toward her. Once in front of her, Anastasia took them both by the hand and looked them straight in the eyes.

"The Avengers have come to take the scepter." She scowled.

Immediately, their eyes widened with excitement. It was finally time for them to face the man who ruined their childhood and his reckless team of "heroes".

It only took a few minutes for the first explosion to go off in the distance, signaling their arrival. Alarms suddenly went off and scientists began to panic around the lab, just like how Anastasia envisioned it. More explosions continued to detonate, but this time they were heard much closer. The building itself started to shake, causing small rubble to fall from the ceiling.

Dr. List, who was conversing with Strucker, turned to the trio smiling. "Let's show them what we've accomplished. Send out our Trinity. It's what they signed up for."

Strucker shook his head, not convinced. "My men can hold them."

Unfortunately for Strucker, his trinity had other things in mind. Pietro, Wanda, and Anastasia all shared the same look. They were ready to make their first appearance. Wordlessly they separated; Wanda slithered into the shadows while Pietro lifted up Anastasia in his arms and carried her outside. Using his super-human speed, it only took about two seconds for them to be in open air.

When Pietro set Anastasia down, she clung to him for a few extra seconds. She tightened her arms around him and whispered in his ear, "Be careful."

Pietro softly pulled away and stroked her cheek. He gave her his usual mischievous grin to ease her worries. "Always."

And in a blink of an eye, Pietro was gone.

 _Always so quick-tempered,_ she grinned.

Anastasia took a moment to breathe in the aromas of the pine trees and the freshly fallen snow around her. It felt good to finally be outside and have some freedom for once. But as she took in the atmosphere, the sounds of explosions reminded her of why she was there in the first place. So without wasting anymore time, Anastasia trudged her way through the snow and into the woods.

Inside the forest, the Avengers were slowly, but surely fighting their way against the numerous Hydra soldiers. Whenever they thought they had defeated them, another flurry of tanks and troops covertly appeared out of the fortress. It seemed the element of surprise was clearly blown because it was almost as if they were expecting them.

Blasts filled the air between both sides as the battle continued to intensify. Natasha Romanoff, who was driving a jeep, swiftly jumped off the vehicle and into the snow, but not before delivering some punches along the way.

"At long last is lasting a little long boys." She expressed to her fellow teammates while shooting the guards around her.

"And it's about to get longer."

Anastasia smirked as the red head, known formally as Black Widow, finally noticed her presence. Besides Stark, out of all the other Avengers, this was the one she was most eager to fight. She had heard all about the famous Black Widow during her years in the facility; about how she was one of the best spies and most skilled martial artist.

 _It is time to put my training to the test._

Both women got into fighting position. Natasha released the two taser batons from her bracelet while Anastasia took out and protracted her bo staff. They stared at each other for a few seconds until Natasha finally made the first move. She swung her batons at her opponent, but Anastasia quickly countered with her own swing. Their weapons clashed together, making a loud clank sound. They pulled away and continued, meeting each other blow for blow. They aimed, deflected, dodged, and struck; dancing around each other's attack.

Natasha then spun rapidly and swung again at her rival, but Anastasia was able to block the strike by holding her staff horizontally. However, instead of pulling away, they held their stance. As they stared at each other with narrowed eyes, Anastasia figured it was about time to end this match.

Thanks to her training, she was instantly able to activate her powers. All she had to do was focus on Natasha's future. Once she did, a standard haziness took over:

* * *

 **Gathering her strength, Natasha shoved Anastasia back and threw a high kick toward her head.**

* * *

Reality soon faded back in as Anastasia felt herself being shoved by Natasha. But as the red head was about to swing her leg, Anastasia quickly lowered herself and did a sweeping kick, knocking Natasha off her feet. She fell hard on the ground, but before she could even get back up, the glowing blue end of the bo staff was already at her neck.

Anastasia smirked, happy to have brought down one of her enemies. "Got you."

Suddenly a loud grunt was heard a few feet away from them. Both women looked to their right and saw a man on the floor, shouting in pain. It appeared he had gotten shot by one of the bunkers and was greatly injured. When Anastasia saw the quiver full of arrows on his back, she identified the man as Hawkeye.

"Clint!" shouted Natasha.

Natasha tried to get up from the ground, but Anastasia kept her staff dangerously close to her neck. "You are not going anywhere."

"Please let me help him! He's hurt!" Natasha's tone of voice was strong, yet fragile. It sounded almost desperate and Anastasia was shocked to hear it coming from her enemy.

"Please…" she repeated, her eyes now clouded with worry.

The look in Natasha's eyes was no stranger to Anastasia. She had seen that look many times, but reflected in her own eyes. She could tell this man meant a lot to her, like family. Anastasia knew that feeling all too well with the twins. She was always worried about their well-being and would do anything to keep them safe.

With that in mind, Anastasia slowly removed her staff from Natasha's neck. The red head actually looked shocked for a moment, before running off to aid her injured friend.

Anastasia observed the two from afar as an unsettling feeling came over her. This didn't feel right. Should she really be fighting against these people? For years she hated the Avengers, but maybe she was wrong. Looking at Black Widow showing genuine care for her teammate made her wonder if she was even on the right side. Maybe they weren't the monsters she had set them up to be…

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end when she felt an abnormal breeze whoosh behind her. She relaxed when she realized whose presence it belonged to.

"Are you ready to return to Wanda?"

Anastasia turned around to face Pietro while trying to hide her troubled expression. She was never very good at that though because he instantly noticed that something was bothering her. He reached out and gently held her face in both hands.

"Anya," he searched her blue eyes with his own, "what is the matter? Are you okay?"

The strawberry blonde just bit her lip and shook her head. "It is nothing; I'm fine."

Although Pietro was not fully convinced, he figured she would tell him what's wrong when she felt ready. So he gave her a nod and swept her up into his arms, disappearing from the woodland battle grounds. They reappeared back inside the facility, which was now completely abandoned. Strucker and his men must have tried to flee from the premises. _Coward_.

They eventually found Wanda in the laboratory. She was hiding in the darkness, carefully keeping her eyes on someone. Pietro and Anastasia walked up behind her and saw the person she was watching. It was a man. He was standing in front of the scepter. Anastasia couldn't really see his face since he had his back towards them, but once a flying red metal glove came and attached itself to his hand, she immediately knew who it was. It was Tony Stark.

Anastasia didn't know what to feel when faced with the man who caused her parents death. She thought she would be filled with hatred and rage. She thought she would want to hurt him as badly as he hurt her, but the truth was…she didn't feel like that at all. It just wasn't in her nature.

Tony Stark extended his arm and took hold of the scepter, as the three of them silently watched from behind. It was then that Pietro took a step forward, ready to retaliate. However, he was stopped by Wanda's hand.

He looked at his sister with disbelief. "We are just gonna let them take it?"

Wanda stayed silent, but grew a wide smile. She had a plan, of that Anastasia was sure of.

Once Tony Stark left the facility with the scepter, it was their turn to do the same. After being imprisoned for two years, Anastasia and the twins were finally free. And although they had nowhere to go, they knew they would be fine as long as they were together. But Anastasia sensed that this was not the last time they would come across the Avengers.

* * *

 **Uh oh, Anastasia is starting to have a change of heart…What do you guys think is going to happen in the next chapter?**


	5. Iron Omen

**A/N: Hiya everyone! I am very excited for you to read this chapter because it may shift the story to follow a new path that some of you may not have expected. I really hope you like the events that play out and continue to read this story. As always, thank you to everyone who follows and favorites my story and those who left reviews! Now without further ado, here's chapter 5! :)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own The Avengers, except for my own original characters.**

* * *

Anastasia, Pietro, and Wanda trekked out of the forest and back into civilization. Not much had changed since they got locked away. Their city still looked about the same as it did two years ago, except with a few more constructed improvements.

As the sun began to set, the trio wondered where they would spend the night. Upon agreeing, they headed toward the only option they had; praying it had not been demolished. They walked a familiar path that led beyond the city, reaching an open field; and there, standing in the distance, was the place where they had lived for many years.

"I can't believe it is still here…" gasped Wanda.

Anastasia stepped forward and placed her hand onto her parent's shed. "We are home."

Dust swirled in the air as soon as they opened the door. It looked like how any home would look after being abandoned for two years. There was dirt everywhere, accompanied by a slight rotten smell. It wasn't the best living arrangement, but it would have to suffice for now. The three went inside and started cleaning up. They tried to make it as livable and breathable as possible. Anastasia opened the small window inside to get some more fresh air as Wanda used the broom to sweep away the dust on the floor. Pietro took out the mattresses and patted them until they were clean enough to sleep on.

During this intensive cleaning, their stomachs collectively turned against them. They hadn't eaten anything since morning and it was beginning to have some effect on them. After hearing another combined set of growls coming from his family, Pietro stopped what he was doing.

"I will go get us some food."

Wanda stopped to look at her brother. He always did such a good job at taking care of them. "Alright, I will stay here and finish cleaning."

"Me too." Anastasia added.

Pietro nodded at the two girls before exiting the shed. Anastasia promptly went back to wiping dust off the walls, but was then interrupted by the long-haired brunette.

"You should go with him, Anya." Wanda held the broom in her right hand and had her other hand on her hip. There was a small hint of a smile on her lips.

The suggestion took Anastasia by surprise, but she managed to shake her head. "I don't want to leave you cleaning here by yourself."

Wanda shrugged. "It's okay. We are almost done anyway."

She was right. As she looked around the room, Anastasia could barely see any more massive gatherings of grime. There wasn't much left to do.

"Go," she smirked, "make sure he doesn't get himself into trouble."

Anastasia felt something weird about Wanda's smirk, but nonetheless, she agreed and left the shed in pursuit of Pietro.

Wanda sighed in relief and continued sweeping the floor. She smiled to herself, hoping that the two of them would take advantage of this alone time. Wanda wasn't blind. She knew there was something brewing between her brother and Anastasia. The two of them were always very affectionate with one another, the same way they were with her, but Wanda noticed when things started to change. They began getting more nervous around each other, stumbling through their words. They would unconsciously find ways to put their hands on each other, more than usual. It was even worse during their two years with Hydra. She would constantly catch them stealing glances at each other from across the room.

Wanda always secretly approved of their relationship. She knew her brother was a bit of a playboy, so she was relieved when she noticed that he had fallen for Anastasia. Who better for her brother than her best friend? They would make a good pairing, but they hadn't confessed their feelings for each other yet. _Hopefully soon_ , she thought.

Anastasia raced her way into the city in order to catch up with Pietro. She left the shed about a minute after he did, so that meant he couldn't be too far. He wouldn't be using his speedy abilities in public because that would cause a scene.

 _There he is!_ Anastasia saw the silver-haired man a few feet down the street from her. "Pietro, wait for me!"

It seemed as though he didn't hear her because he turned into an alley without looking back. Anastasia then quickened her pace and followed him into the alley, but to her surprise, there was no one there.

 _Where did he go?_ _I could have sworn I just saw him._ "Pietro?"

Suddenly she felt a pair of strong arms come from behind her and wrap around her waist. "Yes?"

Anastasia jolted in his arms and let out a small yelp from the sudden contact. She turned around and saw Pietro grinning smugly at her. He took pride in knowing he had succeeded at scaring her. She was his favorite target.

"You know I hate it when you sneak up on me." She hissed while playfully smacking his arm. He used to do that to her all the time and now with his powers, it only made things easier.

Pietro laughed while moving a strand of hair from her face. "But you are so fun to scare."

Anastasia just shook her head and grabbed him by the arm. "Let's go get some food."

The two walked down the streets of Sokovia and found a small cart selling reasonably priced food. The only reason they had any money was because they took it from Hydra's base. They knew in which safe the money was placed and thankfully Strucker and his men forgot to retrieve it while they were evacuating. It wasn't too much money, but it was enough to get by with. So Pietro bought some bread & pork from the man and then they headed back to Wanda.

On their way back, the smell of the fresh bread caused Anastasia to remember one of her most favorite memories. She glanced at Pietro and smiled. He sure had changed from the little boy she met stealing bread into the man beside her today.

"Do you remember when we first met?" she asked.

Pietro looked down into Anastasia's beautiful blue eyes. He could clearly remember the day he first set his eyes on her. "I don't think I can ever forget."

"Really?"

"Yes." Pietro came to a halt and grabbed her hand. "You gave Wanda and I a home. You gave us hope when we had nothing to look forward to…"

The intensity in Pietro's eyes made Anastasia suddenly feel bashful. She broke his gaze and glimpsed down at the ground. However, his fingers gently lifted her chin back up to meet his eyes. "I will always be grateful for that. For you."

Anastasia drew a shaky breath as she placed her hand on his cheek. "Well, you and Wanda also gave me something."

"What?"

"A new family." She could feel her cheeks heating up as she saw him closing the distance between them. "I'm happy you ran into me that day."

"So am I."

The second he said those words, Pietro leaned forward and swiftly captured her lips with his own. Anastasia, although shocked, instantly kissed him back just as strong. It had been such a long time since the moment they first kissed. They were never able to truly be alone together in Hydra's facility since there were always guards everywhere. She felt herself craving his touch every time she saw him, but thankfully now she was finally able to be alone with him. _I missed him._

Unlike their first kiss, this one was a lot more passionate. Pietro pressed himself against her even more, wanting to be in touch with every part of her body. The force of his kiss caused Anastasia to take a few steps back until she felt a wall behind her. She used this as her balance while she wrapped her arms around his neck. She felt his stubble grazing her face as she kissed him, but it didn't bother her at all. Their tongues met and swirled around one another, battling for dominance. Just as they got out of breath, Pietro pulled away and started kissing her beneath her ear. Anastasia let out a small moan in response to the trail of kisses and licks he was leaving on her neck. His hand then moved to cup her face as he returned to her mouth.

After a few more minutes of continuous kissing, Anastasia pulled away softly. "We should go back to Wanda before she gets worried."

Pietro nodded, suddenly remembering that his sister was waiting for them in the shed. He grabbed Anastasia's hand and walked back the way they came from. It wasn't long before they arrived back at the shed. Wanda didn't need to ask what took them so long because once she saw them return with flushed cheeks, she knew her plan had worked. So, the three of them ate their food and then went straight to sleep, tired from such a hectic morning.

* * *

The following day started off as rather uneventful. The three young adults remained quietly inside their shelter for several hours. Without the protection of Hydra, they decided it was best to stay hidden and make a plan for whatever may come their way. However, as the day was coming to an end, Wanda made an unexpected request to go outside. She did not specify to Pietro or Anastasia exactly why she needed to do so; all she said was that it could help them figure out their next move toward defeating the Avengers.

The moon shined brightly down upon the streets of Sokovia as Pietro and Anastasia followed closely behind Wanda. She led them to a small library located near the center of the city. Since it was so late in the evening, most places were already closed, including the library. This complication did not stop Wanda though. She knocked loudly on the door until she was greeted by an aggravated middle-aged man, most likely the owner.

"Can you not read?" the man yelled while pointing to the closed sign. "We are closed. Come by again tomorrow."

With a flick of her wrist, Wanda easily possessed the man with her powers. His eyes turned red while he silently took a step back, allowing the three of them to enter inside. The library was moderately petite; to the left were shelves filled with worn out books and to the right was a long table that held up three old computers with attached webcams. Sokovia seemed to always be behind when it came to technology and education, but that was probably due to the fact that the country was poor.

"Why are we here?" Pietro questioned. "How will this help us?"

Anastasia looked at the brunette with narrowed eyes. She knew Wanda wouldn't just drag them out to a place for no reason. "Does this relate with what you saw in Stark's nightmare?"

"Yes."

Pietro crossed his arms, still not fully understanding. "What did you see?"

"I saw his worst fear and realized that he would let that fear control him, thus leading him to create his own downfall."

Wanda quickly walked over to the computer and sat down in front of it; Pietro and Anastasia gathered closely around her. She turned it on and immediately began searching for any recent news involving Tony Stark. Any little thing could help, but much to her dismay, there sadly was nothing of valuable source.

"Dammit! How could there be nothing?"

Wanda slammed her hands against the table in frustration and coincidentally, the computer screen began to freeze up and glitch. A loud beeping sound also appeared and rang throughout the room. Unbeknownst to them however, a small green light belonging to the webcam, turned on.

Anastasia raised her hands to cover her ears, puzzled by this sudden malfunction. "Wanda, are you doing that?"

"I do not think so…" she stared at her hands, looking rather confused as well.

All of a sudden, the noise stops and the computer screen turns black. And as if that wasn't strange enough, green letters suddenly start to appear on screen, as if someone was typing them. It read: **Trinity. Meet me at the church in the center of the city.**

The message was clearly meant for them and that caused chills to run down their spine; someone was looking for them. _Could this be a trap?_ Wordlessly, the three stood frozen in place after reading the message. Pietro and Anastasia looked at Wanda for direction. She took a moment to think before determining that they should do what the message says. She believed that this was exactly what she was waiting for; a sign that it was time to move forward.

Although Anastasia didn't entirely agree that this was a good idea, she followed the twins as they exited the library and headed toward the famous church located directly in the center of the city. The closer they got to the church, the more Anastasia could feel her heart racing within her chest and her palms sweating. Her anxiety got even worse when she saw the rusted fence covered in withered flowers that surrounded the church.

 _Something does not feel right…._

* * *

 **At that exact moment, the world around her altered and reformed into a murky domain. Her powers seemed to have trigged due to her nervous distress. Anastasia appeared to be inside the church. At the very center was a figure sitting down covered in a red cloth. She couldn't tell who this person was, until they stood up and let the drapery fall to their feet.**

" **Oh, I'm sure they do, but you needed something more than a man."**

 **It wasn't a person at all! It was some sort of robot! He stood taller and bigger than the average man and had a pair of ominous, glowing red eyes. Nothing about him seemed safe nor trustworthy, he seemed quite the opposite. Dangerous.**

 **Wanda then materialized into her apparition, speaking to the mechanical man. "Is that why you've come? To end the Avengers?"**

" **I've come to save the world," he responded quickly. "But also, yeah."**

* * *

Anastasia broke away from her vision with a shrill gasp. The twins instantly halted and spun around to face her, stopping right before crossing the fence.

Pietro was the first one to take a step toward her. "What is it Anya?"

"Did you have a vision?" added Wanda.

Anastasia slowly nodded; panic consuming her body as she looked ahead at the church in front of them, already knowing what was waiting for them inside. "We can't go in there…"

Wanda scrunched her eyebrows together, sensing something wrong. "Why not?"

"It is not a person…" Anastasia managed to breathe out, "it's a robot."

The twins stayed silent as they glanced at one another with bewildered expressions. They certainly weren't expecting help from artificial intelligence.

"Well, what did it want?" Pietro questioned.

The blue eyed girl bit her tongue, wondering what to do next. She didn't want to answer his question because she knew exactly the kind of response she would get if she did. _But I can't lie to them._ And so, with a heavy sigh, she quietly replied. "…to end the Avengers."

At her response, Pietro grew a smirk on his face. "I do not see a problem then. Man or robot, anyone who wants to end the Avengers is our ally, no?"

"Agreed," Wanda nodded, "we should go and –"

"Wait –" Anastasia had been dreading for this day to come. She knew she couldn't keep her doubts a secret from the twins forever. _It is now or never_. "This does not feel right to me…"

"What?"

She looked at their troubled expressions and gulped. "I do not think we should be doing this."

"What are you talking about, Anya?" The tone in Pietro's voice suddenly shifted. Anastasia could detect a hint of anger brewing within. "This is what the three of us have set out to do our whole lives. This is why we have our enhanced abilities."

"But maybe we were wrong in thinking revenge is the answer. Maybe we should start using our powers for good."

"We are using them for good. We are serving justice!" Pietro took a step closer to her, his eyes reflecting a fury that Anastasia had not encountered first hand. "Do you not want justice for what happened to your parents? To your country?"

"Destroying a group of people is not justice!" Anastasia's voice raised, matching his intensity. She was going to stand her ground, hoping he would calm down and listen. "I have read things about them – good things, they aren't as bad as we make them seem."

"Stop it. Don't you dare defend them!" he shouted at her.

"Pietro please, try to understand –"Anastasia tried to reach for him, but he hastily avoided her touch. She could feel tears beginning to form in her eyes at his rejection.

"Oh, I understand plenty." He spat. "You rather side with a group of murderers than your family."

Anastasia frowned, the lump in her throat growing larger by the second. "If we kill them, how will that make us any different?"

"Because they deserve it!"

His scream came out loud and strong. It scared her. He had never yelled at her like that before. They both stood still, eyeing each other. However, Anastasia couldn't stop herself from letting out the tears that she's been trying so hard to hold in. Pietro noticed this and for a moment felt guilty.

He closed the distance between them and spoke in the softest voice he could muster. It came out sounding desperate, broken, like he was almost about to cry as well. "Please, come with us..."

It broke her heart seeing him beg her this way, but she had to be strong. She had to trust her intuition. It took all the strength she had to shake her head at him. "I – I can't."

"Then I guess this is goodbye."

Before she could even register his words, he was gone. All she saw was a trail of silver making its way toward the church. _He just left…_

"Pietro!" she screamed as more tears fell down her cheeks. _It can't end like this._ "Pietro! Pietro, come back!"

Wanda, who had been quiet this whole time, had been watching the two intently. She did not interrupt the fight because she knew that it was filled with intimate feelings which only the two of them could settle. But now that it was over, it was time for her to intervene.

"You love him." It wasn't so much a question, as it was a statement.

Anastasia froze in her spot, completely shocked by the accusation. How could she answer to that? That was something she was not entirely sure of yet herself. So she replied the only way she could think of. "Of course I do. I love you both very much."

"That is not what I meant."

Anastasia watched Wanda silently, not sure of what to say. _Is she right? Have I fallen in love with him?_ Ever since the night they first kissed, she had felt a strange feeling appear every time she was around him. It felt warm and brought her a different kind of happiness. But now that they had this fight, now that he's gone…the feeling left with him and she missed it terribly. She missed him. _Maybe I am in love._

"If you hold strong feelings for him then why are choosing to go against him – against me?"

"I do not want to go against you! But I know in my heart that this is not the right way." Anastasia exclaimed, praying not to lose another family member. "Please Wanda, think about what you are doing."

"Pietro's right. They deserve the pain they caused us." The brunette looked at her childhood friend with saddened eyes. "Good-bye sister."

Wanda then turned and walked in the direction of her brother. While Anastasia watched her go toward the church, she felt her knees go weak. As a result, she fell onto the ground and crumpled the dirt between her fingers. _How did things get this bad?_ She wished she could go back to yesterday, when she was in Pietro's loving embrace. But now she wondered if she would ever be in his arms again.

Anastasia continued to sob while eyeing the church, reconsidering her actions. But the more she thought about it, the more she believed that she did the right thing. That metal android she saw was dangerous, she was sure of it. The twins might have left her, but that didn't mean she was going to give up on them. She was going to protect them, no matter the cost, and in order to do that, she was going to need help. So with new self-assurance, she stood up and wiped her tears. She headed toward the airport with the rest of the money she had left from Hydra.

This was not the end.

* * *

 **GASP! How's that for a cliffhanger? Lol please leave me your thoughts in a review! I really would like to know what you guys thought of this twist and where you think she's headed. Thank you :)**


	6. Alliance

**A/N: First off, I would like to thank everyone who reviewed my last chapter! I got a lot of positive feedback, so thanks! I'm glad you all liked the little twist I added. Now we continue on with the story and see just where this leads our main character. This chapter is a little short and deals with lots of dialogue, but I hope you guys enjoy it! Thank you to everyone who follows and favorites my story! Don't forget to review! ^_^**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own The Avengers, except for my own original characters.**

* * *

The rising sun graced over the large city of New York, indicating the start of a new day. The citizens of this city soon began to awake and commence on their usual morning routines. Some bustled their way through the crowded streets, some whistled for taxis while hoping to avoid traffic and others made their first stop at a coffee shop. However, not every New Yorker was off to a great start, particularly those inside the Avengers Tower.

After last night's shocking event with Ultron, everyone was left in a daze. No one had been able to properly sleep with the thought of a loose murderous robot roaming around the world. Ultron could be anywhere and there was no telling what kind of damage he could do. Inside the lab, all the Avengers sat in silence as they pondered on their next move. All but one.

"We might have something."

The silence was interrupted by Captain America as he stepped into the lab. He held in his hand a tablet which he then handed to Thor. The god took a look at the screen and frowned; it wasn't the best of news.

"What's this?" Tony asked.

Steve nodded toward the tablet, "A message."

Thor shoved the tablet into Iron Man's chest; his anger about messing with the scepter had barely eased down from yesterday. Tony took the tablet nonetheless and looked down. The tablet showed Strucker dead in his prison cell. On the wall behind him, spelled in his blood, read the word: PEACE.

"Ultron killed Strucker." Steve announced to the rest.

"And he did a Banksy at the crime scene, just for us." added Tony sarcastically while Dr. Banner looked over his shoulder at the screen.

Natasha furrowed her brows in confusion at the news. "This is a smoke screen. Why send a message when you've just given a speech?"

Steve could only think of one conclusion. "Strucker knew something that Ultron wanted us to miss."

"And I bet he –" Natasha began typing on the computer for information on Strucker, but the screen displayed a red error message. "Yup, everything we had on Strucker has been erased."

The room suddenly grew silent again as they reached another dead end…or so they thought.

"Maybe I can be of some assistance?"

All heads turned in the direction of a young woman's voice covered in a thick European accent. Anastasia stood before the Avengers with her heart beating fast, but before she could say another word, they had all instantly grabbed their weapons and pointed them directly at her. _Well this is off to a great start…_

"Wait, please!" Anastasia quickly raised her hands up in the air. "I mean you no harm! My name is Anastasia Vasiliev and I –"

"We know who you are." Steve cut her off bluntly.

"Right, sorry." _Stupid. Of course they know who you are. You tried to kill them in Sokovia._

Tony studied the young girl and was left puzzled by a question. "How did you even get in here?"

"The front door was open." Anastasia said while sounding quite surprised as well.

Natasha sighed, "We can thank our buddy Ultron for shutting off the security system."

Steve turned his attention back unto the young woman. He had actually read up about her, and the twins, yesterday with agent Maria Hill. "Why are you here?"

"To warn you that there is something coming for all of you; something that is not human."

Clint let out a grunt. "Sorry to break it to ya kid, but you're a day late."

Bruce, however, was more intrigued by her warning. "Wait, you saw Ultron? When?"

 _So Ultron is his name?_

"He was in Sokovia last night." Anastasia slowly began lowering her arms back down to her sides. "He wanted the Trinity's help with his plan to destroy you. The Maximoff twins joined him, but I did not."

"Oh how convenient." The tone in Clint's voice turned bitter as he stared at Anastasia unconvinced. "You just met with Ultron last night and now we're supposed to believe that you're on our side?"

Thor tightened his grip on his hammer. "The girl is probably a spy."

"No, please! I really am on your side!" Anastasia rapidly raised her hands up once again. Maybe she should have thought out a better plan before going inside a room full of superheroes. "I never met Ultron physically. I saw him in a vision, but I felt that something about him was wrong, so I fled."

"Why should we believe a word you're saying?" Tony Stark watched her carefully. He knew about her past, about how she was orphaned. He wondered if she truly had moved on or if this was just a grand scheme to kill him personally.

The blue-eyed girl took a quick glance at the skeptical faces around her. She knew that if she wanted to convince them, she would need to speak truthfully. "Because I am doing this for my family…"

For a moment Anastasia felt her eyes grow watery at the memory of her last encounter with the twins. But she blinked away the tears and continued without breaking. "The Maximoffs are all I have left in this world and I want to protect them. The three of us have had a personal vendetta for Tony Stark because we held him responsible for killing our parents. But unlike the twins, I've learned to make peace with it and let that anger go. However, they are still angry and confused and it's clouding their judgment. But I know that inside their hearts they are still good people."

Anastasia took one more look around the room before ending her speech. "Please… I just want to help you put an end to Ultron and make sure my family is not hurt."

The room fell silent yet again. It seemed to be happening quite a lot lately for this was the third time today. All the Avengers thought over her proposal intensely, except for a certain red head who had already made up her mind.

"I trust her."

Everyone in the lab turned to Natasha and gasped a collective; "What?"

"Back in Sokovia she could have finished me off in battle, but instead she let me go and help Clint who was injured." she replied to their stares. "I think she's telling the truth."

The rest of the heroes all looked at one another with slanted mouths. After a few more seconds passed, Steve glanced at his team for their final decision. They each gave him a nod.

"Alright, you can help." He proclaimed, but then turned to his fellow teammate. "Romanoff, you are to keep your eyes on her the whole time. If she starts showing any signs of disloyalty then do not hesitate to take action."

"Roger that."

Anastasia sighed in relief as she walked over to the table they were all circling around. She caught Natasha's gaze and mouthed out 'thank you', to which she smiled. Being accepted by the Avengers was never something Anastasia thought she wanted, but now that she was here, things finally felt right for once. She just hoped that Pietro and Wanda would eventually see that too. _I miss them._

"So Anastasia," started Steve, "did you learn any secrets from your years with Strucker? Maybe a secret that Ultron would want to hide from us?"

Sadly, Anastasia shook her head. "I'm afraid not. Although we were Strucker's prized possessions, he still treated us like mice in a lab. We were never really informed about anything besides our enhanced abilities."

"Great." The god groaned, getting annoyed at all these dead ends. "Now what do we do?"

"We keep looking." answered Steve.

"Looking for what?" Clint pointed at the computers in frustration. "You heard Nat, all the information we had on Strucker was erased."

Tony smirked. "Not everything."

Within a few minutes, the lab was engulfed by dozens of large boxes filled with paper. These documents held information on Strucker and his business with Hydra. The Avengers had thankfully taken these files from the facility in Sokovia when they took it over. Everyone in the room was currently opening and searching for helpful information within the boxes. Anastasia examined and went through various folders, but saw nothing that was worth mentioning.

"Known associates." Steve muttered while opening and tossing aside a box lid. "Strucker had a lot of friends."

Bruce flipped through a couple of pages from the file he was holding. "These people are all horrible."

"Wait, I know that guy." Tony confessed as he pointed at a picture in one of the files Bruce was holding. The scientist immediately gave Stark the file so he could further inspect the picture of the man. "From back in the day he operates off the African coast, black market arms."

Steve gave the billionaire a questionable look, to which Tony responded. "There are conventions, alright? I meet people. I didn't sell him anything. He was talking about finding something new, a game changer. It was all very ahab."

Thor took this opportunity to grab the man's picture from Tony. The man had various strange markings on his face and neck. Thor pointed out a specific one that caught his interest. "What's this?"

"Ah, that's a tattoo. I don't think he had it." retorted Tony.

The god shook his head and repointed at the marking. "No, those are tattoos. This is a brand."

Anastasia, along with the others, watched silently as Dr. Banner scanned the picture of the man unto the computer. He then proceeded to search for the symbol online.

"Oh yeah. It's a word in an African dialect meaning thief in a much less friendly way." He informed the team once he found it.

"What dialect?" Steve questioned.

"Wuh- Wa-" Bruce looked back at the screen and squinted his eyes. "Wakanda?"

Captain America and Iron Man faced each other with worried expressions. They both knew exactly what kind of trade goods Wakanda held.

"Wakanda…" Anastasia mumbled, mainly to herself. "Why does that sound familiar to me?"

Hearing the name Wakanda allowed Natasha to finally be able to put two and two together. She had figured out the secret Strucker knew that Ultron didn't want them figuring out.

"Anastasia, may I see your bo staff?" she asked.

The young woman gave her a questioning look before handing her the staff that was attached to her hip. "Sure?"

The second Natasha held the staff in her hands, she knew her conclusion was right. She knew she had seen this kind of metal before. Natasha then looked at Steve and handed him the weapon. "Notice a resemblance to something?"

Steve gripped the bo staff and immediately sensed the similarity between it and his shield. He turned to Tony with a frown. "I guess your father didn't get the last of it."

"I don't follow." Bruce interrupted. "What comes out of Wakanda?"

"The strongest metal on earth."

* * *

 **Great job to all of you who guessed that she would go to the Avengers for help! Did you like their interaction together? I bet Pietro and Wanda aren't gonna be too thrilled to see her with the Avengers…**


	7. Bad Blood

**A/N: I can't believe 100+ people have favorited this story! Thank you guys for your support, it means a lot to me! Now I really hope I didn't let you guys down with this next chapter. After reading all of your reviews, I could tell a lot of you are looking forward to this confrontation between Anya and Pietro. So I hope you guys are left satisfied! A big thank you to those who favorite and follow my story and of course to those that review it as well! I love reading your feedback :)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own The Avengers, except for my own original characters.**

* * *

Anastasia sat quietly in the corner seat of the Avengers' Quinjet as it headed toward its destination. They were currently on their way to South Africa in order to confront Ulysses Klaw about the vibranium. Anastasia shook with fear at the possibility of seeing Pietro and Wanda. She knew they would be greatly upset if they saw her with the Avengers. She hoped however, that she would somehow be able to convince them to leave Ultron. _I know it didn't work the first time, but I am not giving up on them. I just hope they will listen._

"Hey,"

A strong voice suddenly broke through her train of thought. She looked up and was shocked to see Tony Stark standing next to her.

"Listen, I know you don't like me and probably don't care about anything I have to say, but…" He took a deep breath and scratched his jaw nervously. "I'm sorry about what happened to you. Years ago I had a partner who sold my weapons to terrorists without my knowledge. I never intended for innocent people to die."

Hearing him apologize was never something Anastasia thought she needed. She knew an apology would not bring back her parents, yet she was left pleasantly surprised by his sudden confession. This man was no longer her enemy and so she was able to appreciate the small sentiment.

"Thank you."

Tony nodded and left back to where he was originally sitting. It only took a few minutes after that to finally arrive at Wakanda. The Quinjet was lowered off shore, next to a salvage yard. Captain America stood in the center with his arms crossed, ready to give the orders.

"Our top priority is to retrieve all the vibranium on the ship." He declared. "We must prevent Ultron from ever getting his hands on it. Understood?"

Everyone nodded upon hearing the mission, however, Anastasia had a worrisome thought that she wished to express.

"Excuse me?"

Steve looked in her direction and nodded, allowing her to speak up.

"I know I am in no position to ask favors, but…" Anastasia glanced at those surrounding her with pleading eyes. "Please spare the twins from harm. I will handle them."

No one seemed to have a problem with her request, so it was unanimously granted. Knowing that the twins were not the Avengers' main targets, made her feel slightly better. So with one less worry on her mind, Anastasia was able to steadily follow the team out of the Quinjet and into Klaw's ship. The only one left behind was Dr. Banner who was told to wait for a 'code green'.

Inside the ship, it was all very loud. Workers rushed around, back and forth, between the poorly lit hallways. The Avengers used the lack of light to their advantage as they glided through the shadows. As big as the ship looked from the outside, it seemed even bigger on the inside. _This could take a while…_ Coincidentally, just as she finished that thought, a sudden cloudiness overtook her sight.

* * *

 **Through a passage covered in shattered glass, stood a man. Anastasia recognized this man as Ulysses Klaw because he looked identical to the photograph she saw back in New York. Klaw then marched over to a giant crate and opened it. Within the crate were multiple glistening tubes filled with metal. He grabbed one from inside and handed it over to another pair of hands, but these hands were not made of skin…they were made of iron.**

" **Upon this rock I will build my church." Ultron grinned as he tightly gripped the tub in his hands. "Vibranium."**

* * *

When the present faded back in, Anastasia felt a familiar sense of panic begin to surface inside her. It was the same kind of anxiety she had gotten the last time she saw Ultron through a vision. Thankfully she had not spotted the twins in her vision, so maybe he was here alone.

She wasted no time in warning her new team through the comms. "Ultron is already here!"

"What?!" they all blasted in her ear.

"I saw him in a vision. He's about to get all the vibranium."

"We have to hurry then." Captain America kept his cool under pressure as he spoke to her. "Where did you see him? Do you know which way to go?"

Anastasia quickly took a look around the area she was in. When she noticed the shattered glass on the floor, there was no doubt in her mind which way they should go. "There!"

Everyone followed her guidance and cautiously walked through the passage, avoiding the broken glass altogether. Once they heard a familiar mechanical voice coming from the corridors, they knew they had found their target. The group then deiced to split up. Natasha and Clint climbed to higher ground in order to get a better angle on the situation while the remaining four continued their approach, until stopping at a bridge.

"Don't compare me with Stark!" Ultron shouted, his voice full of disgust. "He's a sickness!"

"Aww junior, you're gonna break your old man's heart." Tony was always one for sarcasm, even in the worst situations.

Ultron slowly turned around and faced his creator. Although he wasn't human, he had clear facial expressions; and right now he seemed angry. "If I have to."

From behind Ultron emerged Pietro and Wanda, each standing on either side of him. As soon as Anastasia noticed them, she felt her breath get hitched in her throat. She decided to linger behind the mighty Thor until she could muster up the courage to show herself to them. Thanks to the god's big build and her small frame, she was easily able to remain unseen from the twins.

"Nobody has to break anything." Thor said in an attempt to make peace.

"Clearly you've never made an omelet."

Iron Man turned to Thor jokingly. "He beat me by one second."

"Ah, it is funny Mr. Stark?" Pietro took a few steps towards him, infuriated with how lightly he was treating the situation. His blue eyes then glanced down at the missiles below their feet. "It's what…comfortable? Like old times?"

"This was never my life." Tony actually sounded remorseful.

But Wanda just rolled her eyes at him. "Oh please."

"He is telling the truth." a voice cried out.

Pietro and Wanda froze. They knew exactly who that voice belonged to. Anastasia slowly stepped out from behind Thor and made her presence known.

"Anya?"

Pietro was the first one to speak as he stood baffled at the sight of her. Ever since the night of their separation, she had been constantly crossing his mind. He hated the way things ended between them and it's been tormenting him every night since then. Seeing her again now made him realize he wanted nothing more than to embrace her in his arms. But did he? No. Pietro was hurt. Anastasia was one of the two most important people in his life and it wounded him to see her opposing him. His anger toward Tony Stark and the Avengers blinded him from seeing the truth behind her actions.

Wanda took a step forward, "What are you doing here?"

"With them?" Pietro hissed.

"I –"

Before she could explain herself, she was cut off by Ultron. "Ah, so this is the final member of the Trinity."

Anastasia could feel her hands shaking at her sides as Ultron advanced toward her. He was a lot larger than she expected and a lot more intimidating in person. Those red eyes of his were just as frightening as she remembered from her vision.

"It's such a shame that you decided not to join us; you could have been very useful." He stated. "But you know what? I'm feeling generous today, so I'll extend you my previous offer."

Suddenly, Anastasia could feel all eyes on her.

Ultron continued, "Think about it; together we can change the world."

Anastasia could feel the twins watching her intently, which made things a lot harder. She hated letting them down, but she had to go with what she knew was right. "Never."

"You would betray your family so easily?" Ultron was quick with his response. He motioned toward the twins, who he knew were her weakness. "I thought you cared about them, but clearly your disloyalty proves that you don't."

Anastasia could see how quickly Ultron's words affected the twins. Pietro and Wanda's expressions shifted into a state of aggravation as they let themselves be corrupted by his darkness.

"I do care!" She screamed, her eyes flickering between the twins. "Pietro, Wanda, don't listen to him!"

"You two can still walk away from this." added Captain America while trying to help. Anastasia appreciated his effort.

Wanda smirked. "Oh, we will."

"I know you've suffered –"

"Captain America." Ultron could barely hold back his repulsion as he spoke. "God's righteous man. Pretending you could live without a war. I can't physically throw up in my mouth, but –"

Thor cut in, "If you believe in peace, then let us keep it."

"I think you're confusing peace with quiet."

"Yeah, huh. What's the vibranium for?" Tony questioned, glancing behind him.

The A.I. gave a devious smile to the heroes. "I'm glad you asked that because I want to take this time to explain my evil plan."

The moment he finished that sentence, Ultron blasted Iron Man and sent him crashing into a metal wall. Tony quickly recovered and launched himself at Ultron as they commenced fighting in the air. It's at that same moment that Ultron's possessed robots, the Iron Legion, come out of nowhere and attack everyone else. Even Klaw's workers join the fight with their machine guns.

Anastasia swiftly extracts her bo staff and begins defending herself from both man and robot. She sees a sliver blur zoom past her and knock over Thor. She also notices Captain America being struck down by Wanda. _Shit. I need to talk to them._

But every time Anastasia tried to break away and look for them, another opponent would come running at her. Thankfully, handling them was not a problem. Now that she knew her staff was made of vibranium, she was even more confident in her attacks. Anastasia swung her weapon at all those who came her way. All it took was one hard hit to the head to send the men unconscious. The Iron Legion was a little harder to beat, but she was able to short-circuit them by using the ends of her bo staff which held powerful shocks of Chitauri technology.

Above everyone's heads, Iron Man and Ultron were still in midair, blasting each other with their weapons. Eventually Iron Man manages to slam Ultron so hard against the roof of the ship that it ruptures a hole. The two fly out and continue their fight, leaving everyone else battling it out on the ship.

From the corner of her eye, Anastasia sees Pietro and Captain America. Pietro tries to stand up after recently falling, but gets knocked down again into some crates by the super soldier's shield.

"Stay down, kid." Steve tells him before rushing off to defeat more of Klaw's men.

Anastasia took this opportunity to run toward the silver haired man lying on the ground. He seemed rather out of it as she approached him; his head was lowered and his eyelids were half closed.

"Pietro! Pietro, are you okay?" She kneeled down next to him.

Out of instinct, she placed a hand on his knee and another on his cheek while she checked him for injuries. However, it only took Pietro a second to comprehend what was happening and how close she had gotten to him before his fury returned.

"Get off me!"

Pietro instantly shoved Anastasia off, causing her to fall onto the ground. She was left completely stunned by his harsh actions as she watched him stand back up. He had never been so cold to her before... It felt like all the years they had spent together were suddenly being ripped apart in front of her, little by little. She wondered if by the end of all of this fighting; would they even remain friends? The thought itself already made her want to cry. _I cannot lose him or Wanda. They are my family._

Anastasia rapidly got back on her feet and blocked his path. "Pietro, wait!"

"Get out of my way, Anya." He growled.

"No."

Anastasia stood her ground, but the way he was looking at her made her want to crawl into a hole. There was so much rage in his stare, yet she remained unafraid and kept eye contact with her childhood friend.

"Stop pushing me away and listen." She begged, "Please."

Pietro opened his mouth as though he was about to angrily reply, but instead he took in a deep breath. "Alright."

"Really?" Anastasia's blue eyes widened in shock at the sound of his agreement. _That was rather easier than expected..._

Pietro's gaze then abruptly moved to behind Anastasia as he signaled a slight nod. Anastasia was quick to catch this act and realized that he wasn't looking at her. He was looking at someone behind her! But before she could turn around, a red misty glow came over her eyes. The words "I'm sorry," was the last thing she heard before the world around her disappeared.

Wanda lowered her hand and positioned herself next to her brother. She took a look at Anastasia's blank-like expression and immediately felt guilty. She once swore to herself that she would never use her powers on either Pietro or Anya, yet here she was…she had broken that promise.

Pietro waved his hand in front of Anastasia's face. She showed no signs of a reaction, proving that she was under Wanda's hypnosis. Suddenly though, her legs give out from under her as she descends toward the ground. Pietro, without having to give it a second thought, quickly catches her in his arms. He feels her body quiver as he holds her and watches while her eyes start to water. The effects of the mental manipulation was certainly taking its toll on her.

"What did you make her see?" he asked his sister.

"Her worst fear."

"You couldn't have given her something a little lighter?"

Wanda gave him a shrug, already feeling bad enough. "I have yet to master that."

Pietro sighed as he returned to observe the young woman in his arms. Although he was greatly upset by Anastasia's decision to side with his enemies, he would never wish any real harm upon her. He hated the idea of going against his closest friend and the more he stared at her pain-stricken face, the more conflicted he felt.

"Let's set her down somewhere safe," suggested Wanda while looking around the ship.

The Maximoff twins soon found a hidden corner surrounded by large crates. They gently placed her down on the floor, away from all the fighting. No one should be able to find her there as long as the crates conceal her.

Wanda could still see some worry on her brother's face, so she grabbed his hand and squeezed it, assuring him that she would be okay. "We have a plan to finish."

Pietro nodded at his sister and took one last glance at Anastasia. They both then turned around and proceeded with their mission, leaving Anastasia alone with terrible hallucinations inside her head.

* * *

" **'Cause, baby, now we got bad blood. You know it used to be mad love. So take a look what you've done. 'Cause, baby, now we got bad blood." (Can you tell that Taylor Swift inspired the title of this chapter? I haven't stopped listening to that song lol)** **Anyways, what did you guys think?! I tried to write their emotions as complex because sometimes not everything is in black and white. By the way, we will be seeing what Anastasia fears most in the next chapter!**


	8. Safe House

**A/N: Hi guys! I'm sorry this chapter took a while to post, but I've been very busy with a new class I started taking. From now on, I might be a little slower in updating. However, I hope you'll forgive me since this chapter is the longest one yet! I really liked incorporating Anya into the story and I hope you like it too. Also, I noticed that this story reached 200+ followers and so I wanted to say thank you! I'm really happy so many people are liking my story. And as always, please leave me a review because I love reading what you guys have to say!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own The Avengers, except for my own original characters.**

* * *

 _The blood red sky encircled Anastasia as she made her way across a barren wasteland. She felt an ominous feeling in the air while looking at her surroundings. Nothing about this place seemed recognizable; all forms of plant life were withered and the ground beneath her was cracked and full of rubble. It seemed as though the land had gone through the effects of an apocalypse... Was this earth? Or rather what was left of it?_

 _Anastasia felt herself shiver at such an unsettling thought, but she managed to push forward and continue wandering through the desolate space. She was walking aimlessly until she saw two figures appear ahead. They both had their backs facing her, so she couldn't quite tell who they were. However, the closer she got to them, the more familiar these figures became. Once she saw the silver tinted hair and the long brunette locks, she knew exactly who they were._

" _Pietro! Wanda!"_

 _She reached for them with outstretched arms, but when she grabbed their hands and turned them around, Anastasia let out a scream. Her stomach suddenly got tied in knots and she felt as though it was hard to breathe at the horrible sight before her. Pietro and Wanda were completely drenched in blood and bruises._ _Their usual lively expressions were now dull and their clothes were torn and battered. Seeing them in this condition left Anastasia petrified._

 _She raised a hand over her chest to steady her beating heart. "What happened to you? Who did this?"_

" _You did." Wanda was quick to reply._

 _Pietro spoke next, his words coming out like venom. "This is all your fault."_

" _No,"_ _the blue eyed girl slowly shook her head, "that can't be true."_

 _Wanda frowned, her eyes glowing red – matching the blood stains on her shirt. "You left us alone with Ultron! You weren't there to protect us!"_

" _You betrayed us!" roared Pietro._

 _Anastasia could already feel tears beginning to sting her eyes. "No, you don't understand, I was only trying to help!"_

" _Traitor!" they yelled._

" _I am not a traitor!" Anastasia tried defending herself as best as she could. "I would never deceive you. I love you both so much, you're my family!"_

 _Pietro then began to laugh menacingly. It was unlike him. "Ha! Family? You were never a part of our family."_

" _Families are supposed to be there for each other!" added Wanda._

" _Please, but I –"_

" _We hate you!"_

 _Those three words were possibly the worst thing they could have ever said to her. Hearing them say it with such loathing made Anastasia break down into tears._

" _We hate you!" they repeated._

 _Anastasia covered her ears and shut her eyes tightly. "No! Stop it!"_

" _We hate you!"_

" _This isn't real!" she cried out in anguish. "This can't be real!"_

Anastasia awoke from the hypnosis with a loud gasp. Her blue eyes quickly scanned the area and she realized she was still inside Klaw's ship. She stayed sitting where she was as she gradually tried to recollect her thoughts. The last thing she remembered was talking to Pietro. He tricked her into thinking he'd listen and she stupidly fell for it; Wanda then must have used her mind manipulation powers on her. _At least what I saw wasn't real…_

The young woman stood up from the corner she was in and cleaned off the excess water from her cheeks. She then noticed Hawkeye helping Natasha make her way to the Quinjet, along with Captain America and Thor following sluggishly behind. It seemed that Anastasia was not the only one Wanda had used her powers on.

Everyone inside the Quinjet was quiet. No one made a sound. The only noise that could be heard was the hum of the powerful engines that kept the jet flying through the air. Anastasia was silently sitting on a seat with a blanket wrapped around herself. She kept her head low as she tried her best to distract her thoughts from the nightmare she had just recently experienced. The rest of the team seemed to be doing the exact same thing because everyone kept to themselves. This defeat only proved one thing: Ultron was going to be hard to beat.

"The news is loving you guys." Maria Hill's voice echoed through the aircraft. "Nobody else is. There's been no official call for Banner's arrest, but it's in the air."

"Stark Relief Foundation?" asked Tony.

"Already on the scene." She replies, then pauses before asking, "How's the team?"

"Everyone's…" Tony takes a moment to glance over at his teammates who are all vacantly staring off into space. "We took a hit. We'll shake it off."

"Well for now I'd stay in stealth mode and stay away from here." The agent advised.

"So run and hide?"

Maria frowned, not happy with the outcome either. "Until we can find Ultron I don't have a lot else to offer."

"Neither do we." Tony looks back at his team before turning off the screen Maria was on. He walks over to Clint who is currently flying the jet. "Hey, you wanna switch out?"

"No, I'm good." He states while looking over his shoulder at Tony. "If you want to get some kip, now's a good time cause we're still a few hours out."

"A few hours from where?"

"Safe house."

* * *

By the time the Quinjet arrived at its destination, it was already early morning the next day. The sun was shining brightly and it caused Anastasia to awake from the little sleep she had received inside the aircraft. She peered out the window and saw nothing but large green fields and tall abundant trees. It was a lovely sight to see and in the midst of it all, there was a small farm house situated in the middle.

The Quinjet landed a few feet away from the ranch, using the tall trees as coverage from any possible prying eyes. One by one, the Avengers slowly exited the jet. Clint helped Natasha down and placed her arm over his shoulder to keep her balanced. When it was Anastasia's turn to step down, Steve graciously offered her his hand for support. With a small smile, Anastasia took his hand, thanking him in the process. The two then followed the rest of the team as Clint led them toward the house and onto the porch.

"What is this place?" inquired Thor, asking the question on everyone's mind.

Tony turned to the god, "A safe house."

"Let's hope." Clint opened the door and stepped inside, with everyone else following closely behind. "Honey? I'm home."

Much to everyone's surprise, a woman walked out from the kitchen and into the living room. She had long brown hair and was holding a bunch of coloring books in one hand. Her most prominent feature however, was that she appeared to be pregnant.

"I brought company. Sorry I didn't call ahead." Clint told the woman as he walked up to her and gave her a kiss.

"This is an agent of some kind..." Tony muttered, still trying to understand what was happening.

The archer then faced the team with his arms still lovingly wrapped around the woman's waist. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is Laura."

 _This must be his wife._

"Hi," she greeted with a small nod, "I know most of your names."

"Oh, incoming!"

Voices of young children were suddenly heard running down the halls. Everyone looked down and saw two kids, a boy and a girl, scurrying over to Hawkeye as they yelled "daddy". He opened his arms and the two children wasted no time in hugging their father.

"Hi sweetheart! Hey buddy!" exclaimed Clint while kissing the top of their heads. "How are you guys doing?"

Anastasia couldn't help but smile at the scene playing out in front of her. They seemed like such a nice and happy family. It reminded her a lot of her own family. She remembered her parents always being very caring and loving. _If only I had gotten more time to be with them..._

"These are smaller agents…" babbled Tony, adding to his previous statement.

"Did you bring Aunty Nat?" the little girl questioned.

Black Widow smirked, stepping toward the girl. "Why don't you hug her and find out?"

"Sorry for barging in on you." Steve expressed to Laura. He was always one for keeping his manners.

"Yeah we would have called ahead, but we were busy having no idea you existed." Tony remarked with a little steam.

"Yeah well Fury helped me set this up when I joined." Clint explained, "Kept it off S.H.I.E.L.D's files; like to keep it that way. I figured it's a good place to lay low."

Thor was surprisingly quiet since he entered the house and Anastasia sensed that he felt rather uneasy in this atmosphere. Without saying a word, the god turned and exited the house looking distraught. She wondered what was going on with him, but decided to leave it to Captain America who followed Thor out through the front door.

Anastasia was left standing quietly by herself, but took the opportunity to let her eyes roam over the house. It was quite a large house and it was charmingly decorated with art and furniture. But what she liked most about it was how much it resembled her old house back in Sokovia, before it got destroyed. It made her feel warm and safe; something she hadn't felt in a while.

Not wanting to feel rude, Anastasia made her way over to Laura. "You have a beautiful home."

"Thank you." Laura smiled, but then raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm sorry, I don't believe I know your name. Are you new or…?"

"My name is Anastasia Vasiliev and I'm, well… I'm not really –"

"She's our new ally." Clint cut in, assisting Anastasia who was at a loss for words. At first, like everyone else in the Avengers, Clint had his doubts about her. However, once he saw how much emotion she showed between Ultron and the twins, he knew that she was telling the truth about wanting to be their ally. There was just too much genuine emotion for her to be faking her loyalty. "She's a good kid."

Anastasia appreciated his words with a smile, happy to feel accepted. Natasha then stepped into the group and placed her hands on Laura's baby bump.

"How's little Natasha, huh?" she asked.

Laura bit her lip and scrunched her eyebrows together. "She's uh… Nathaniel."

Natasha frowned and lowered her face toward her stomach. "Traitor."

" _Traitor!"_

That word immediately caused Anastasia to reminisce the horrid vision she experienced yesterday due to Wanda's powers. She instantly raised her hand and massaged her temple, hoping to get rid of that awful memory.

Laura noticed the girl's sudden discomfort. "Are you okay Anastasia?"

"Yes, I'm fine." She shook her head with a sigh. "I just didn't get enough rest on the Quinjet."

"Well you're welcome to take a shower and rest in one of the rooms if you'd like."

"May I?" _That sounds amazing._

"Sure," she grinned, "just follow me."

Anastasia followed Laura up the stairs and into one of the spare rooms. She told her that she would leave on the bed some clothes for her to change into after she showers. She also mentioned that if she were to need anything else, to not be afraid to ask. Anastasia thanked her deeply for her hospitality and once Laura was gone, she quickly entered the bathroom.

Inside, she stripped off her dirty clothes and stepped into the shower. The handles felt cool against her skin as she turned them on, allowing the water to start gushing out of the shower head. Anastasia rested her forehead on the cool tile of the shower, letting the warm water wash over her. She sighed in comfort, slowly starting to feel clean again. It had been such a long time since she took a nice relaxing shower. She didn't want to waste the hot water though, knowing that everyone else also needed a turn, so after only a few minutes she turned off the water. She wrapped herself in a towel and stepped back into the room.

Just as promised, Laura left her some clothes to change into: a casual floral dress and a jean jacket. The size was a little big, but Anastasia didn't mind. It actually looked kind of nice. _I don't think I have ever worn something like this_. After looking at herself in the mirror, Anastasia let out a yawn. She sat on the bed and then proceeded to lay down. She wasn't able to sleep on the Quinjet, but hopefully she would be able to take a refreshing nap now. And so, her blue eyes slowly disappeared beneath her eyelids.

" _This is all your fault."_

" _You betrayed us!"_

" _Traitor!"_

" _You were never a part of our family."_

" _We hate you!"_

"NO!" Anastasia's eyes shot open as she jolted up on the bed.

She was covered in sweat, breathing heavily while she looked around the room. She found a clock and saw that 40 minutes had passed since she had fallen asleep. _It was only a dream._ Images of Pietro and Wanda's bloody faces flashed in her mind again and she reminded herself that it wasn't real. It never happened; they had never said those words to her. Yet, no matter how many times she told herself that, she couldn't get their comments out of her head.

 _What if – what if it's true? What if they hate me?_ Anastasia lowered her head, covering her face with her hands. How would she be able to live with herself?

Suddenly, there was an unexpected knock on the door. Anastasia looked up and was surprised to see Natasha standing by the doorframe in a grey bathrobe. She was holding in her hand a large blue mug.

"Hey, may I come in?"

Anastasia adjusted herself and sat toward the edge of the bed with her feet touching the floor. "Yes, of course."

Natasha walked inside and handed her the blue mug. "Just stopped by to bring you some tea; Laura just made some."

"Thanks."

The young girl grabbed the mug and blew on it softly. She took a sip of the hot liquid and felt it warm up her body. After a couple of more sips, she placed the mug on the nightstand by the bed. Natasha didn't leave the room though; she had another motive for coming in here than just giving her tea.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm okay."

The way Anastasia answered did not sound believable whatsoever. Natasha had a feeling something was bothering the girl and this only proved it. Ever since they left Klaw's ship, she had been extremely quiet. It was true that after Wakanda mostly everyone kept to themselves; even Natasha who felt haunted by the ghosts of her past. But after reaching the house everyone seemed to break out of it, except for the young woman sitting on the bed.

"Are you sure?" inquired Natasha.

Seeing Natasha's affectionate stare made Anastasia start to cave. She frowned and slowly shook her head, not wanting to keep it in any longer. "No."

The red head observed the girl woefully, sitting down next to her on the bed. "Is this about the hallucinations you saw?"

Anastasia nodded. "I keep seeing the twins…they are covered in blood and beaten up. They tell me this is all my fault and that they – they hate me." She paused for a moment, trying to keep her voice from cracking. "And even though I know it's not real, I just cannot help but think that maybe they really do hate me."

In an act of sympathy, Natasha placed her hand on her shoulder. "No, you can't think like that."

"Why not? I abandoned them!" Anastasia raised her voice, her guilt catching up with her. "I'm supposed to always have their backs, but instead I left them when they needed me most!"

"You did the right thing by coming to us."

"Then why do I feel so bad?" Tears were now streaming down her face. She hated crying, she was always the optimistic one, but lately weeping has been all she's been doing. "They are the only family I have left, but now they are never going to speak to me again! And Pietro and I will never…we'll never…" _We'll never see what we could have become._

"The Maximoff boy?" At the mention of his name, Natasha automatically made a connection. She recalled seeing how Anastasia and Pietro spoke at the salvage yard, the way they looked at each other. It was clearly visible that they cared for each other more intimately than just as siblings. "You're in love with him."

"That doesn't matter anymore." She sobbed as she shook her head in defeat. "The way he treated me in Wakanda proves that he thinks of me as his enemy – a traitor."

"Listen," Natasha sighed, she was never very good at giving relationship advice, mainly since she had never had a real one herself. However, she knew what Anastasia was going through since she had her eyes set on a certain green, troubled scientist. "I know love is complicated, but it's something worth fighting for. You can't lose faith when things get tough, especially if you feel so strongly for them." Natasha moved her hand to Anastasia's back, giving her a small comforting embrace. "And from what I've seen, families never give up on each other so easily. I'm sure the twins still care for you and once they realize that you've been on their side all along, they'll be grateful for having you in their family."

Anastasia calmed her sniffling while she took in Natasha's words. She never once thought she would get advice from the Black Widow, but she was extremely happy that she did. "Thank you Natasha."

"You're welcome."

* * *

Later that day, everyone gathered in the kitchen for dinner. Surprisingly, they were visited by another guest; it was a man Anastasia had never seen before. His name was Nick Fury. Although wary at first, the man finally introduced himself to Anastasia after the team defended her allegiance. She learned that he used to be the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D and was the one who formed the Avengers in the first place. After his introduction, he began talking about the matter that was really at hand: Ultron.

"Ultron took you folks out of play to buy himself time. My contacts all say he's building something. The amount of vibranium he made off with, I don't think it's just one thing." Fury explained while getting himself a cup of water.

Steve was leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed. "What about Ultron himself?"

"He's everywhere." Fury answered quickly. "Guy's multiplying faster than a catholic rabbit. Still doesn't help us get an angle on any of his plans though."

"He's still going after launch codes?" Tony was on the other side of the room playing darts, but kept his ears attentive to the conversation.

"Yes he is, but he's not making any headway."

That sounded very strange to Tony. Surely Ultron could tap into the system somehow. "I cracked the pentagon's firewall in high school on a dare."

Fury shrugged, "Well I contacted our friends at the NEXUS about that."

"NEXUS?" Anastasia spoke up in confusion.

Dr. Banner was quick to help clarify. "It's the world internet hub in Oslo, every byte of data flows through there, fastest access on earth."

"So what they say?" Hawkeye enquired, getting back on subject.

"He's fixated on the missiles, but the codes are constantly being changed." answered Fury.

"By whom?" Tony questioned.

"Party's unknown."

Natasha looked at Fury with a hopeful expression. "We have an ally?"

"Ultron got an enemy, that's not the same thing." emphasized the man with the eye patch. "I'd paid folding money to see who it is."

Tony threw the last dart and strolled back into the kitchen. "I might need to visit NEXUS; find our unknown."

Natasha sighed in disappointment. This was not what she wanted to hear. "Well this is good times boss, but I was kind of hoping when I saw you, you'd have more than that."

"I do. I have you." Nick Fury walked toward the dining table and sat down across from Natasha and Anastasia. "Back in the day I had eyes everywhere, ears everywhere else, you kids had all the tech you could dream of and here we are, back on earth, with nothing but our will and wit to save the world. Ultron says the Avengers are the only thing between him and his mission. And whether or not he admits it, his mission is global destruction. All of this laid, in a grave. So stand, out with the platinum bastard."

"Steve doesn't like that kind of talk." Natasha teased.

Anastasia giggled as Steve replied with a grin, "You know what Romanoff?"

"So what does he want?" Fury directed the question to the group in hopes of getting some sort of lead.

Steve was the first one to suggest a motive. "To become better than us? He keeps building bodies."

"Person bodies…" concluded Tony. "The human form isn't efficient, biologically speaking we're outmoded, but he keeps coming back to it."

"And you two programmed him to protect the human race…you amazingly failed." commented Natasha with a sly smirk.

Fury placed his drink down and eyeballed everyone around the table. "Our first step should be to locate Ultron and try to figure out what he's up to."

There was a moment of silence before Anastasia grabbed everyone's attention. "Leave that to me."

All heads shifted to her as she closed her eyes. Now that she had met Ultron physically, she would be able to locate him by seeing minutes into his future. She was happy to feel useful and so focused all her thoughts on the dangerous android. Instantaneously, the recurring fog materialized:

* * *

 **The room was dark; the only light coming from a menacing pair of distinguishable red eyes. It was Ultron, of that she was sure of, but Anastasia couldn't tell where he was. He also wasn't alone in the dark room. There with him was a young Asian woman. She stood very still and seemed scared of the threatening A.I.**

 **"I could've killed you, Helen, the night we met." spoke Ultron through the darkness, "I didn't."**

 **"Do you expect a thank you note?"**

 **"I expect you to know why."**

 **The young woman glanced down worriedly at a large, steel contraption. It looked like some sort of coffin. "The Cradle."**

 **Ultron placed his hand on the 'Cradle' and sneered evilly. "This is the next me."**

" **But the regeneration Cradle prints tissue. It can't build a living body –"**

 **He cut her off, "It can. You can."**

* * *

Anastasia blinked, returning back to the kitchen full of Avengers. The baffled look on her face made everyone feel uncomfortable.

Clint turned to her, "What did you see, kid?"

"Ultron is trying to make himself a new body..." She said slowly, trying to comprehend how dangerous the situation was becoming. "A living body."

Jaws dropped around the table at the shocking news. No one had thought that Ultron would go to such extreme lengths.

"Ultron's going to evolve." Dr. Banner muttered with a hand resting under his chin.

Nick Fury lowered his drink, "But how?"

Before Anastasia could describe the machine she saw in her vision, the scientist beat her to it. "Has anyone been in contact with Helen Cho?"

* * *

 **So this chapter started off a little dark, but I enjoyed writing it overall. It gave me a chance to explore Anya's character and write more about her emotional state. The scene I liked best was when Natasha tried to comfort her. What about you guys? What did you guys like? Oh! Don't worry, we should be seeing Pietro and Wanda in the next chapter ;)**


	9. Crossroads

**A/N: I'm happy to be able to post yet another long chapter! As I promised, this chapter will include the twins and it even goes into their point of view (which was very interesting to write). This chapter follows a few very exciting scenes from the movie and the end act is my personal favorite. I hope you all like this chapter as much as I do and please leave me a review at the end! I love feedback! So thank you to everyone who favorites, follows & reviews my story :D**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own The Avengers, except for my own original characters.**

* * *

At the crack of dawn, everyone within the farm house was slowly beginning to wake. The only ones left asleep were the children, who were blissfully unaware of the oncoming war. Anastasia managed to get out of bed without any trouble, she felt fully rested after thankfully getting a couple hours of sleep. She changed back into her usual fighting attire, which was now cleaned thanks to Laura, and headed downstairs. She walked toward the kitchen and saw mostly everyone already prepared for the next mission. The heroes all gathered around each other, waiting to hear the plan.

"I'll take Natasha and Clint." stated Captain America while grabbing his shield off the dining room table.

"Alright, strictly recon." Tony added. "I'll hit the NEXUS and join you as soon as I can."

Nick Fury then walked up to both of them while putting on his jacket. "I'll drop Banner off at the tower. Mind if I borrow Miss Hill?"

"She's all yours…apparently." Tony replied rather curiously. "What are you gonna do?"

Fury shrugged with a smirk, "I don't know. Something dramatic I hope."

The group continued to converse as Anastasia stood patiently waiting to hear her name being called out, but surprisingly there was no mention of it. Had she no part to play in the upcoming mission?

"Wait –" she interrupted, "What about me?"

The super solider signaled in her direction; he hadn't forgotten about her. "That's up to you. Anywhere you decide to go will be alright with us."

"Well," Anastasia didn't need much time to think over her answer. "I would like to go with you to Seoul. I want to be there in case Pietro and Wanda show up."

"Are you sure?" Steve looked at the young girl worriedly. He knew exactly what she was going through; fighting against close friends is one of the hardest things anyone can do. But he found himself impressed by her response.

"Yes." Anastasia declared firmly. She glanced at Natasha with a small smile, remembering back to the conversation they had yesterday. "They're worth fighting for."

* * *

Wanda stood quietly outside of a large and moderately innovative facility. She and Pietro were currently somewhere in South Korea. Ultron had told them that the reason they were here was because he needed to speak with a woman named Helen Cho. He assured them that she would help him greatly in furthering his plans.

When they first arrived, Ultron went into the building by himself. He later called them in and explained his plan. He was going to make himself a living body in order to fully be capable of bringing down the Avengers. Pietro seemed captivated by his plan, but Wanda on the other hand, was beginning to have her suspicions. She immediately noticed that Helen Cho was under some kind of trance and that her colleagues were all being heavily watched by the Iron Legion. Ultron seemed to stop at nothing to get what he wanted…and it scared her.

This was the reason why she was outside. She needed a break from the lab and wanted some fresh air to clear her mind – more specifically, her doubts. However, the more she tried, the less assured she felt. She thought about what happened in Wakanda. How she manipulated the Hulk's mind and caused him to wreck a city and harm innocent people. This was not the way she wanted things to go. She wanted to help her country and the world by getting rid of Tony Stark and the Avengers, but now that she thought about it, she only felt confused. Who was she really trying to help? The world or just herself?

Instantly, a name entered her thoughts: Anya. There were no words to describe how much Wanda missed her best friend's presence, though she did still feel incredibly guilty for what she did to her in the salvage yard. Messing with Anya's head was a huge mistake and she wished she could take it back. Not only that, but what she saw in Anya's nightmare bothered her quite a lot. Anya was clearly afraid of Ultron. Should they be afraid too?

"There you are Wanda," Pietro's voice broke through his sister's train of thought. "I was looking for you."

It had been more than a couple of minutes since Wanda had exited the room, so he wanted to check on her and make sure she was okay. Ever since they landed in South Korea, Pietro sensed that she was uneasy.

Wanda let out a sigh, "Sorry, I just wanted a moment to myself."

He was no mind reader like his sister, but Pietro could tell right away that something was upsetting her. So he grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "What is wrong? Talk to me."

Wanda slowly turned and looked at her brother, distress written all over her face. "Pietro, I am worried… nothing seems right anymore."

"What do you mean?" There was a small part of Pietro – even though he wasn't willing to admit it – that had some doubts. And now hearing his sister begin to question their motives only heightened that uncertainty.

"Anya's fear… I cannot get it out of my head. She's terrified that Ultron might harm us…that he's not who he says he is."

Pietro stared down at the floor guiltily at the mention of her name. It seemed even though Anya had opposed them in battle, she still cared for them tremendously. As did he. He hated fighting against her. He cared for her just as much as he cared for Wanda, but yet the feelings he held for her were different. More amorous.

"What if we shouldn't be fighting against Anya? She's our family." Wanda mused, "Is what we're doing right? Are we on the wrong side?"

Pietro thought he knew the answer to all those questions, but now he wasn't so sure. All he's ever wanted was to get revenge on the man that caused his parent's death, but were the things they were doing justified? Is his revenge worth losing Anya? "I – I do not know… But I do know that together we will figure this out."

The twins stood silently outside for a few more minutes before they decided to re-enter the facility. They walked past the Iron Legion and went into an open room; inside the large space was Ultron and Helen Cho. In the middle of it all was the machine called 'the Cradle' and Ultron appeared to be hooked on through a cable. When the robot noticed their returned attendance, he grinned, beckoning them to get closer.

"Cellular cohesion will take a few hours, but we can initiate the consciousness stream." addressed Dr. Cho while she adjusted the cable on the back of Ultron's head. "We're uploading your cerebral matrix...now."

Wanda gradually began to approach the Cradle, curiously observing the body being built inside. "I can read him. He is dreaming."

Dr. Cho glanced at Wanda for a brief moment before returning her gaze to the computer screen. "I wouldn't call it dreams. It's Ultron's base consciousness, informational noise. Soon –"

"How soon?" Ultron interrupted, "I'm not being pushy."

"We're imprinting a physical brain. There are no shortcuts. Even if your magic gem is..."

Dr. Cho and Ultron's voices slowly started to fade away as Wanda stepped closer to the Cradle. This was her chance to finally read Ultron's mind, to get inside his head. So as carefully as she could, Wanda placed her hands on top of the silver contraption. Within a second, an image of global annihilation emerged in her mind. Wanda instantly broke away from the apparition and screamed at the horror she just witnessed.

Pietro was by his sister's side in a flash. He held her tightly in his arms and scanned her for any injuries. He struggled to read Wanda's expression as she shook her head in panic. Her face was pale with fright and so he tried to calm her down by stroking her cheek. It seemed to work because she slowly composed her breathing.

Wanda held onto her brother for support as she looked at Ultron, who was now standing up. "How could you?"

"How could I what?"

"You said we would destroy the Avengers" she breathed, "make a better world."

"It will be better."

Wanda slightly paused before speaking, almost as if she was afraid to say it out loud. "….when everyone is dead."

The revelation of Ultron's true purpose hit Pietro like a ton of bricks. This was never about defeating the Avengers, it was about something much bigger – something more malicious. Fury raged in his bones as he turned to face the mechanical man standing before him. How could he have let himself fall into Ultron's trap? He should have listened to _her_ …

"That is not...!" Ultron groaned in frustration with outstretched his arms. "The human race will have every opportunity to improve."

Pietro furrowed his brows, "And if they don't?"

"Ask Noah."

Wanda shook her head in anger. She was warned that something like this would happen, yet she didn't listen. "Anya was right…You're a madman."

"There were more than a dozen extinction level events before even the dinosaurs got theirs. When the Earth starts to settle, God throws a stone at it, and believe me, he's winding up." Ultron stopped for a moment and placed his hand on the Cradle. "We have to evolve. There's no room for the weak."

"And who decides who's weak?" Pietro asked, fully angered by Ultron's deception. Wanda took this opportunity, now that Ultron was distracted, to whirl her hand and break Dr. Cho out of the scepter's hold.

"Life." The robot chucked, "Life always decides."

The room grew silent as the twins came to terms with their mistake. Pietro held Wanda and planted a kiss on her forehead worriedly. However, the silence was soon interrupted by a loud beeping sound.

"There's incoming." stated Ultron, "The Quinjet. We have to move."

"That's not a problem." Dr. Cho replied, now secretly free of his trance. She typed something on the supercomputer and swiftly cancelled the upload to Ultron's consciousness.

Ultron quickly noticed though and blasted the scientist without giving it a second thought. In that instant, Pietro picked up Wanda and rushed out of the building; hoping to get as far away from Ultron as possible.

* * *

"Two minutes. Stay close."

The Quinjet carefully hovered over Captain America as he made his way toward Helen Cho's facility. Anastasia wanted to have gone with him, but she was ordered to stay inside the aircraft with Natasha and Clint. She watched as he disappeared into the building, but simultaneously heard his voice echo throughout the Quinjet with use of the radio comms.

"Dr. Cho!" Telling from the distress of his yell, it sounded like she was in trouble.

"He's uploading himself into the body." mumbled a feeble voice, which Anastasia presumed was Helen Cho.

"Where?"

"The real power is inside the cradle. The gem, its power is uncontainable. You can't just blow it up. You have to get the cradle to Stark."

"Did you guys copy that?" Steve asked his teammates.

"We did." Clint replied.

Anastasia pressed her finger to the comms piece in her ear. "Any sign of the twins?"

"No, the place is empty." He affirmed.

"I got a private jet taking off, across town, no manifest." Natasha announced to the group while working the computer. "That could be him."

Anastasia looked out the window and down onto the highway. Within a few seconds she spotted a large truck speeding its way past cars. "There! It's the truck from the lab."

Clint immediately followed her gaze and found the truck as well. "It's right above you, Cap. On the loop by the bridge. It's them. I got three with the Cradle, one in the cab. I could take out the driver."

"Negative! If that truck crashes, the gem could level the city." Cap informed. "We need to draw out Ultron."

Anastasia watched intensively as Steve jumped off the bridge and landed on top of the truck. Chaos ensued after that as Ultron emerged from within and began blasting Steve. The highway turned into a full-on war zone while the fight between Ultron and Captain America continued on.

Out of the corner of her eye, Anastasia noticed Natasha walk toward the middle of the jet. The red head pressed a few buttons and all of a sudden the floor of the Quinjet began to open. Natasha mounted a motorcycle that was near the exit and then turned in her direction.

"Get on."

Anastasia blinked. Did she hear her correctly? "What?"

Natasha simply smirked and motioned again for her to get on. Anastasia approached the vehicle slowly before tossing herself behind Natasha. She wrapped her arms around the Black Widow's waist securely and leaned forward.

"Have you ever ridden one of these before?" Natasha questioned.

Anastasia thought back to her rebellious years in Sokovia. "I think I rode a scooter once?"

"Well it's like that, but a lot faster. Hold on."

"We got a window." They heard Clint proclaim. "Four, three…give 'em hell."

The motorcycle dropped onto the streets below and Anastasia swore she felt her stomach drop from the sudden fall. They zoomed through the lanes as Natasha swerved and skidded across traffic. Up ahead they noticed Cap's shield on the ground and so Natasha tilted the bike and skillfully grabbed the armor.

"I'm always picking up after you boys." she expressed humorously.

"They're heading under the overpass," Clint spoke through the comms, "I've got no shot."

"Which way?"

"Hard right… Now."

Natasha took a sharp turn which caused Anastasia to grip her waist even tighter. They drove through a small street that led into a foreign market. People were jumping out of the way of the oncoming bike, hoping not to get run over. Natasha then turned into an alleyway that eventually led back onto the main road. They finally reached the truck, but instead of driving alongside it, Natasha accelerated the bike and managed to drift them beneath the bottom of the truck. She threw Steve back his shield and he used it to knock off Ultron from him.

All the while, Anastasia just sat in astonishment as she watched it all play out in front of her. Her fear of riding was promptly replaced by admiration for her allies.

"That was amazing." she gushed.

Natasha sent her back a smile. "Thank you."

However when Anastasia returned to stare ahead, she noticed that Ultron had blasted the road. "Watch out!"

Natasha came to a sudden halt, barely avoiding the fresh hole on the ground. It didn't take her long though to press the gas pedal again and continue in pursuit of the truck. Two of Ultron's underlings began blasting in direction of the two woman. Their open fire forced Natasha to curve right and retreat up some stairs. The steps led to a public bridge filled with pedestrians walking on the pavement.

"Out of the way! Beep-beep!"

"Sorry, coming through!"

The two women continued shouting at the pedestrians as they chased after the truck from above.

"Clint, can you draw out the guards?" radioed Natasha.

"Let's find out."

Anastasia watched as Hawkeye lowered the Quinjet and started shooting at Ultron. Immediately the Iron Legion soared out of the truck, heading straight for the aircraft. A skyward battle soon commenced as the Quinjet spiraled into the air while attempting to distract the robots. During all this madness, the brawl between Ultron and Captain America took a sudden turn. Ultron rammed himself into the super solider, causing them both to crash into a neighboring train.

"I think Cap might need some backup." suggested Anastasia restlessly. "I will help him. You get the cradle." _Ultron is too much for just one person to handle._

The assassin nodded at the plan. "Alright, be careful."

"You too."

Natasha rapidly sped up and caught the back end of the train. Anastasia reached out and carefully gripped one of the handle bars. She lifted herself off the motorcycle and onto the small strip of surface that was attached to the rear end of the train. She gave Natasha a thumbs up before opening the back door and entering inside.

Anastasia ran as fast as possible through the train's compartments until she finally reached the one where Captain America and Ultron were fighting. She saw Steve trying to block Ultron's punches using his shield, but Ultron ultimately managed to jab him in the stomach. Anastasia quickly rushed toward them while she extracted out her bo staff. She swung in Ultron's direction and landed a hit near the back of his head, injecting a shock of Chitauri technology as well.

"Argh!" He cried out in pain at the harsh impact, but surprisingly the powerful jolt did not provide as much damage as she would have hoped. Ultron quickly turned around and faced her. "You again."

His red, menacing eyes centered on her and she felt her bones rattling yet again. He lifted his hand and sent a blast her way, but she was quick on her feet and was able to dodge it. He threw various punches, but she countered them by using her staff. Not long after, Steve was back on his feet and the two fought alongside each other against the murderous bot. Captain America threw his shield at Ultron, but Ultron was able to counter it and blast him, knocking him down onto the floor.

"Cap!"

Anastasia then made a grave mistake. She took her eyes off her opponent.

When she glimpsed down to see if Steve was okay, Ultron took the opportunity to knock the staff out of her hands. Before she could even react, Ultron had grabbed her by the throat. He slowly raised her up as she felt her feet lift off the floor. His mechanical hands felt like ice against her skin. She urgently started clawing at his grip, trying desperately to pull him off, but it was no use. His grasp on her was just too strong.

Ultron gave her a pitiful look while tightening his grip around her neck. "Such wasted talent."

Anastasia's lungs began to burn from the lack of air; she didn't know how much longer she could make it. But just when she was about to lose all hope, a silver blur zipped past her. Ultron was abruptly pushed off and Anastasia dropped to the ground. She took in various deep breaths, trying to fill her deprived lungs with air. Once her vision steadied, she looked up and saw a familiar figure standing in front of her, shielding her from Ultron. He had his back toward her, but she didn't need to see his face to know who it was.

"Pietro!"

A few feet away, Ultron regained his posture and began walking in their direction, but he was suddenly blocked by a barrier created by some metal parts of the train. It was surrounded by a red glow and Anastasia knew instantly who it belonged to.

"Wanda!"

There were no words to describe how much unbelievable joy Anastasia felt at that very moment. Seeing the twins coming to her rescue filled her heart with warmth, but she knew she couldn't focus on that right now; they were all still in a very dangerous situation.

Ultron looked at the twins with pleading eyes. "Please. Don't do this."

"What choice do we have?" Wanda scowled back.

Without warning, Ultron makes a swift turn and sends a blast in direction of Anastasia and Pietro. Using his superhuman speed, Pietro quickly covers Anastasia and moves her out of the way. When he pulled away from her, she noticed Ultron flying out of the train.

"We lost him! He's headed your way!" Steve shouted at Clint through the comms.

Anastasia stood up and saw that Ultron's blast had killed the engineer of the train, meaning there was no one driving. _Uh no…_ All of a sudden, the train derailed, becoming out of control. It started crashing and destroying everything in its way. The innocent passengers screamed from the impact and held onto anything they could find. Windows shattered, allowing dust and debris to fly into the train.

"Civilians in our path." reported Steve.

Pietro disappeared within the second, helping those standing in front of the train's destructive path.

Steve then shifted to face Wanda. "Can you stop this thing?"

At that moment, the train crashed through another building and the force caused Anastasia to be slammed against a seat. She gritted her teeth at the sensation of a new pain on her side, but she pushed the discomfort away and stood back up. She watched as Wanda waved her hands toward the bottom of the train; her red magic flowed from out of her hands and traveled under the train. Her powers acted as breaks to stop the rampant train.

Gradually, the train came to a complete stop in the middle of a marketplace, but the streets were thankfully all cleared by Pietro. Anastasia coughed while the dust settled around her. She found her previously missing bo staff on the floor and attached it back onto her belt. She stumbled off the train, but stayed at one of the doors to help the passengers exit out. Once everyone was safely off the train, Anastasia searched for the twins. She found them across the street; Pietro was sitting down trying to catch his breath while Wanda stood next to him.

Anastasia wanted nothing more than to approach them - embrace them. However, she found herself lacking the courage. She was hesitant. Why? Because things did not go so well the last time they saw each other. _We hate you!_

Wanda glanced up from her brother and saw Anastasia standing a few feet away. Their eyes locked and Wanda could instantly sense Anastasia's worry and hesitation. Wanda frowned, knowing exactly why her friend was feeling this way.

The two girls stared at each other for a few moments until Wanda made the first attempt to move forward. Anastasia nervously watched Wanda as she came closer, not knowing what to say. When the brunette was finally at arms distance, she did the last thing Anastasia expected her to do.

She hugged her.

"I am so sorry Anya," Wanda whispered into her ear, "for everything that happened."

Anastasia felt tears rush to her eyes as she wrapped her own arms around the brunette. It felt like a giant weight had been lifted off her shoulders; she was no longer at war with her family.

"I'm sorry too." She replied while tightening the hug.

After a couple more seconds, they softly pulled away, each one wiping off a few tears.

"You were right all along." Wanda knit together her brows, "Ultron cannot be trusted."

Anastasia exhaled, "Well I'm just happy we are on the same side again."

"So am I." smiled Wanda.

The girls laughed and gave each other another quick embrace, happy to be reunited again. When they came apart, Anastasia peeked over Wanda's shoulder at Pietro, who was watching the two girls from afar. She shot him a big smile and was about to head in his direction, but she stopped herself. She was shocked to see that he did not return her smile, instead he had turned his face away from her.

Anastasia felt a piece of her heart crack. She was dumb to think that their relationship would go back to normal; if there even was a relationship to go back to. _Just because he saved me doesn't mean he will forgive me…_

Wanda noticed Anastasia's sorrow and grabbed her hand. "He'll come around."

Anastasia nodded, keeping her saddened gaze on the silver haired man in front of her. Pietro, on the other hand, kept his gaze strictly on the ground. He couldn't bring himself to look at her… He felt humiliated. Ashamed. He should have listened to her from the beginning, but instead he was too blinded by revenge to realize what was truly important in all of this. _Her_. How would they recover from this? How would he be able to forgive himself for the way he treated her?

Captain America soon marched into the group and placed a hand on Anastasia's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

She gave him a small grin, "Yes, I am fine. Thank you."

"The cradle, did you get it?" Wanda questioned the super soilder.

"Stark will take care of it." was his reply.

She shook her head, "No, he won't."

"You don't know what you're talking about, Stark's not crazy."

"He will do anything to make things right."

Slightly affected by her words, Steve briskly turned around. "Stark, come in. Stark. Anyone on comms?"

No one answered. Silence was all Anastasia could hear through the ear piece. Steve and Anastasia shared a worrisome look.

"Ultron can't tell the difference between saving the world and destroying it." she reasoned. "Where do you think he gets that?"

* * *

 **YAY! The three of them are finally together again….well kind of lol. I hope you all enjoyed how their reunion scene played out. Please tell me what you thought by leaving me a review! And do not worry about Pietro and Anya, I have a special scene planned out just for them in next chapter ;)**


	10. Lightning

**A/N: Hey everyone! We are getting closer to the climax of the movie: the ending fight! Are you guys ready for that? This chapter is basically the calm before the storm, so I hope you enjoy it! There is also a special scene between our two main protagonists that I hope you like as well. Thank you so much for the reviews and thanks to all of you who favorite and follow the story!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own The Avengers, except for my own original characters.**

* * *

The ride back to the Avengers' Tower went surprisingly fast and Anastasia actually felt relieved at their quick arrival. The uncomfortable silence she shared with Pietro was beginning to become too much for her to handle. Thankfully though, once they reached the Tower, the four of them hurried up the building with Captain America leading the way. They stepped through a doorway that led into Stark's lab and inside they saw the two scientists scurrying about while experimenting on the synthetic body. Anastasia noticed that they had already begun uploading data into the cradle, trying to revive the body within.

The Captain took a step forward, grabbing the scientists' attention. "I'm gonna say this once."

"How about 'nonce'?" retorted Tony.

"Shut it down." Steve demanded loudly, but was ignored.

"Nope, not gonna happen."

The super solider then caught the other scientist's gaze, "You don't know what you're doing."

"And you do?" Dr. Banner finally spoke up, shifting toward Wanda. "She's not in your head?"

Wanda cautiously took a step out from behind Steve, "I know you're angry –"

"Oh, we're way past that. I could choke the life out of you and never change a shade."

His threat to Wanda caused deep anger to stir within Anastasia. She clenched her fists together and stood next to her protectively. No one could threatened her family; not even the Hulk.

"Banner, after everything that's happened –" Steve tried to speak, but was cut off by Tony.

"That's nothing compared to what's coming!"

"You don't know what's in there!" Anastasia shouted, hoping to get some sense into them. On the ride there, Wanda explained to her what she had seen in Ultron's mind…and it was not good.

More yells filled the room as everyone continued arguing over what to do. Pietro looked over at everyone bickering and sighed. In a blink of an eye, Pietro zoomed around the room in a silver stream and unplugged all the cords connecting to the cradle. Immediately, all the power in the lab was cut off and everyone turned to him.

"No, no. Go on." He stared at their stunned faces mockingly. "You were saying?"

A loud bang suddenly erupted through the room and everyone watched as Pietro fell through the floor, glass shattering beneath his feet.

"Pietro!" the two girls screamed.

Anastasia rushed over to the newly open hole on the floor and peered down to make sure he was okay. She saw Hawkeye pinning him to the ground with a smirk.

"What? You didn't see that coming?"

"Stop!" she yelled at the archer. "They are no longer working with Ultron! They are on our side!"

Before Clint could reply, a piercing beeping sound filled the lab. Tony focused his attention back onto the monitors of his computers and began typing rapidly.

"I'm re-routing the upload."

The second those words came out of Tony's mouth, Captain America wasted no time in flinging his shield at Stark's equipment. Sparks flew, but Tony was quick to react and summoned for his iron hand. Once it was on, he fired a blast at Steve, sending him across the room. Wanda's hands began to glow red, but she was stopped by Bruce. He had wrapped his arms around her, with one hand dangerously close to her neck.

"Go ahead," he snarled, "piss me off."

Without giving it a second thought, Anastasia pulled out her bo staff and ran toward the angry scientist holding Wanda. She didn't swing her staff at him at full force, but she did manage to shock him with a small jolt of Chitauri technology. Bruce cried out in pain and released Wanda from his grasp. Anastasia embraced her adopted sister and watched as he fell to his knees. She really didn't want to fight against any of the heroes, but she wasn't going to allow anyone to hurt her family. _Family comes first._

The madness inside the lab continued on as Captain America and Iron Man's fighting remained unbroken. It was within all this insanity, however, that a missing Asgardian god finally revealed his presence. Thor jumped onto the cradle and lifted his hammer, calling to it as much lighting as he could muster.

"Wait!" Bruce shouted, now back on his feet.

The god paid no attention to his plea as he continued gathering thunderous energy to supply his hammer. Thor then pounds the cradle, sending a powerful bolt of _lightning_ to the body contained inside. Warnings of a 'power overload' are seen across computer screens, but they eventually burst from all the excess power. Once the lighting ceased, all is quiet for a moment, but it doesn't last long. The cradle ruptured open, knocking Thor off his feet and sending a large blast of air through the room. Fog dispenses out of the silver contraption and a red human-like figure emerges from within.

Anastasia, along with everyone else, watched this 'man' carefully as he kneeled over the cradle. He looked around the room, scanning everything in his path, but when his eyes found Thor, something changed. He went from being extremely still to exceptionally fast. He flew toward the god, but Thor was able to dodge him in time and throw him through a glass wall. The android crashed into the lounge, but stopped mid-flight right in front of a giant window. The beautiful view of New York City seemed to catch his interest because he stayed observing it for quite a while.

Everyone took this chance to run down from the lab and go into the living room. Captain America looked ready to attack the vibranium man, but Thor held out his hand to him signaling not to strike. Anastasia then felt a slight breeze beside her which indicated that Pietro had reappeared and taken his place between the two girls.

Once the android finished staring at the city below him, he turned around and faced the rest of the group. He magically created a dark green suit and a golden cape to cloak himself in.

"I'm sorry, that was…odd." He stammered before turning to Thor. "Thank you."

Steve was the first to take charge of the situation. "Thor, you helped create this?"

"I've had a vision." Thor clarified while pointing to the gem inside the red man's head. "A whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life and at its center is that."

"What, the gem?" Bruce asked.

"It's the Mind Stone. It's one of the six Infinity Stones, the greatest power in the universe, unparalleled in its destructive capabilities."

"Then why would you bring it to…" Steve trailed off, but Thor was quick to answer.

"Because Stark is right."

Bruce gave out a sigh, "Oh, it's definitely the end times."

"The Avengers cannot defeat Ultron."

"Not alone." added the android to Thor's previous statement.

There was something bothering Steve as he watched the vibranium man. He knew he had heard that voice before. "Why does your vision sound like Jarvis?"

"We reconfigured Jarvis' matrix to create something new." Tony said as he circled his 'vision' in awe. He couldn't believe his idea actually worked.

"I think I've had my fill of new."

Anastasia examined the 'vision' suspiciously, not yet fully convinced that he could be trusted. She had seen what Ultron could do and if he was in anyway like his creator, then they could be in some serious trouble.

Gathering her bravery, she asked "Are you a child of Ultron?"

When Vision set his eyes upon her, she was surprised to feel no fear, unlike the many times she faced Ultron.

"No." he softly replied, "I'm not Ultron. I'm not Jarvis. I am…I am."

Wanda took a step forward. "I looked in your head and saw annihilation."

"Look again."

"Yeah." Clint snickered insultingly, "Her seal of approval means jack to me."

Thor tried grabbing everyone's attention once again as he motioned toward the twins and Anastasia. "Their powers, the horrors in our heads, Ultron himself, they all came from the Mind Stone, and they're nothing compared to what it can unleash. But with it on our side –"

"Is it?" Steve glared at Vision anxiously. "Are you? On our side?"

"I don't think it's that simple." Vision responded.

"Well it better get real simple real soon."

Vision took a look at everyone in the room and came toward the middle of the group. "I am on the side of life. Ultron isn't, he will end it all."

"What's he waiting for?" Stark probed.

"You."

"Where?"

Fortunately, Hawkeye had already figured out that part of the equation. "Sokovia. He's got Nat there too."

Anastasia felt a sense of relief come over her as she realized her friend was not dead. Natasha was alive and her location was discovered, so that meant they would soon be coming to her rescue. However, Anastasia's relief was short lived when she finally came to terms with the location Clint had just mentioned. _Sokovia…_ That was their home. It was the place where she grew up and where she lived with the twins. Out of all the places in the world, why did Ultron have to pick her home? Her country had gone through enough and its people even more so. _I have to protect them._

Bruce walked over to Vision and stared him directly in the eyes. "If we're wrong about you, if you're the monster that Ultron made you to be…"

"What will you do?" No one said a word and so Vision continued with his speech. "I don't want to kill Ultron. He's unique, and he's in pain. But that pain will roll over the earth, so he must be destroyed. Every form he's built, every trace of his presence on the net, we have to act now. And not one of us can do it without the others."

For a moment, Vision glanced down at his hands. "Maybe I am a monster. I don't think I'd know if I were one. I'm not what you are, and not what you intended. So there may be no way to make you trust me. But we need to go."

Silence quickly filled the room when Vision lifted Thor's hammer off the table. The fact that he was able to pick it up so easily left everyone in shock. Thor, who was happily surprised, grabbed back his hammer with a smile. Vision then strolled out of the quiet room, leaving everyone wondering why he was worthy enough to lift the mighty weapon.

"Right." Thor grunted; he went over to Tony and patted him on the shoulder. "Well done."

Although everyone was still completely in shock, they knew this was not the time to get distracted. The world was in danger and they were the only ones who could save it.

"Thirty minutes. Get what you need." Steve commanded to his team. He then turned his attention to the three youngest heroes. "You three follow me."

Captain America led the trio to a large locker room that held cabinets full of gear. He said they were free to use any equipment they thought would be needed for battle; whether it be clothes or weapons. He also said to meet back in the living room when they were ready to go. After he finished giving instructions, he exited the room, leaving the three of them alone.

Wordlessly, they each peered into a few lockers until they found what they needed. Wanda was the first one to find clothes that fit her. She quickly went into one of the changing rooms and came out wearing a black dress with long socks and boots. Pietro threw at her a red jacket which completed her look. She didn't need any weapons since her magic itself was a weapon.

Anastasia opened a few more cabinets until finding what she required. She found a purple three-quarter-sleeve shirt, black jean shorts, and purple sneakers. She decided to leave on her tights even though they were a little slashed. She gathered the gear in her hands and headed to the changing room. Before she opened the door, she stole a quick peek at Pietro, but she wasn't surprised that he wasn't looking at her. He had barely given her so much as a glance since they reunited in Seoul.

 _Will things ever be the same between us?_ Anastasia sighed at the thought and sulkily stepped inside the room.

Outside, Pietro finally found a good pair of running shoes in his size and a blue-ish silver athletic shirt. He took off his old shirt and put on the new one in its place.

"I will meet you in the living room." Pietro told his sister.

He wished to avoid Anya as much as possible; being around her was just too difficult to endure. Guilt lay like a rock in his heart, but the more he ignored her the heavier it felt. Yet he didn't feel like he deserved to be in her presence after what he did to her. She had always been special to him, yet he abandoned her so easily and was quick to call her his enemy. Could he ever be able to forgive himself?

However, just as he was about to walk out the door, he heard voices conversing on the other side.

"No way we all get through this." Tony Stark's tone was serious. "If even one tin soldier is left standing, we've lost. There's gonna be blood on the floor."

"I got no plans tomorrow night." Steve replied.

Pietro's eyes widened, allowing the severity of the situation to flow in. He was such an idiot! He was thinking about this all wrong. There was no guarantee that he would have more time to fix this later. They were all about to head into war… and in war, casualties are inevitable. If Ultron wins, then they could all die tomorrow. There would be no second chances. He needed to say something to her before it was too late.

Wanda silently watched her brother as he internally struggled by the door. Using her powers she could sense the heavy guilt and shame he felt for his actions. She felt how much he cared for Anya and how much he wanted to be with her, even though he was denying himself. Wanda shook her head at his irrationality and approached him. She gave his hand an encouraging squeeze.

"Go to her."

Pietro took a look at his sister's comforting gaze and nodded. Just like that he overcame his desolation, knowing that if he missed this moment then he would never be able to live it down.

Inside the changing room, Anastasia had just finished putting on her new clothes. Her bo staff was securely fastened on her belt, but she also added two pistols at each side of her waist for backup. She reached toward the door's handle to exit, but it seemed someone from the other side had beaten her to it. The door swung open and she was met by a pair of stunning blue eyes.

"Pietro?" she blinked in surprise while taking a step back. "What are you –"

"There is something I wanna say to you."

He stepped inside and swiftly closed the door behind him, locking them both inside the rather small changing room. His voice was stern. His facial features serious. Anastasia already had some sort of an idea on what was about to happen. She figured he would confront her about their situation sooner or later. She sighed and looked down, expecting the worse.

 _Oh god, here it comes. He's going to tell me that I messed up; that I should have never picked the Avengers over family. He's going to say that things can never go back to the way they were; that I ruined –_

"I'm sorry."

Anastasia's head shot up, her voice coming out barely above a whisper. "What?"

"I'm sorry." He repeated. "I'm sorry for losing my temper the night you tried to warn us about Ultron. I'm sorry for how I treated you during the fight in Wakanda. I'm sorry I did not try to stop and actually listen to you. But most of all, I'm sorry that I gave up on you and you never did on me."

Anastasia was completely blown away by his sudden apology. The conversation had certainly turned out better than expected. She examined him carefully and could see just how badly he felt about the whole situation. The sincerity in his eyes told her that he was telling the truth; but either way she had known this boy all her life, so she would know if he wasn't.

Her next words came to her with ease, "It's okay."

She placed a hand on his cheek and watched as his eyebrows lifted in shock.

"You would forgive me so easily?"

She smiled at him. "All I have ever wanted is to keep you safe. You mean the world to me Pietro, so yes, of course you are forgiven. You always will be."

Hearing her accept his apology felt like a heavy weight was finally being lifted off his shoulders. He wrapped his arms securely around Anastasia and rested his head on top of hers. He didn't realize how much he missed her touch until she was back in his arms.

"I will never leave you again." he whispered.

"Good."

As she let herself melt in his embrace, Anastasia couldn't help but think of how silly her fear now seemed. She let out a small giggle, catching Pietro's attention.

"What?"

She looked up at him and bit her bottom lip timidly. "So you do not hate me?"

Her question left Pietro rather mystified; how on earth could she ever think that was possible? But instead of listing why there were so many things wrong with that question, he decided to answer her in a much more meaningful way. Pietro lowered his mouth onto hers and stole a chaste kiss upon her lips. He lingered for a few seconds until breaking away softly; his signature smirk now playing on his lips.

"I could never hate you."

A heavy blush spread across Anastasia's cheeks, matching the warm sensation that now spread across her body. She wanted him – no, she needed him. After being apart for what felt like a century, she needed to feel his body against her once more. So with no hesitation, she gripped his shoulders and stood on the tips of her toes, brushing her lips against his.

Pietro responded to her kiss in a heartbeat. He wanted to kiss her tenderly, but it didn't help to mask his growing desire. He quickly took control and parted his lips, urging hers to open as well. She instantly complied and he sent his tongue to meet hers, deepening the kiss. As she moaned into his mouth, Pietro couldn't stop his hands from wandering, becoming familiar with the curves and lines of her body. He felt at war with himself, he knew it was not the time for this, but he just couldn't separate himself from her.

His kiss was like _lightning_ ; bright and electric, but with the power to cause great destruction. The shudder that passed through his body became her own, and Anastasia slid her hands up his chest and wrapped them around his neck. She felt so right pressed against him, as if she had always meant to be there. She kept her mouth on his, moving together like joined magnets. She never wanted this moment to end.

But eventually, they would need air.

Pietro and Anya slowly pulled away from each other, completely breathless. They stared at one other, gasping, with desire clearly written across their faces. However, neither one made an attempt to move, both knowing that if they continued they wouldn't be able to stop.

While out of breath, she looked at him and a sudden powerful urge overtook her. She now knew how she felt. There was no doubt about it. She wanted to tell him. Those three little words.

"Pietro… I –"

A loud knock on the door interrupted her confession, followed by Wanda's voice. "Let's go you two lovebirds! They are waiting on us."

Anastasia grinned at Wanda's teasing remark and returned her gaze to Pietro who also had a smile on his face. Perhaps right now was not the best time for her to confess. They had bigger things that needed their full attention at the moment, like the fate of the world for example. But at least she was right about one thing: Pietro and her weren't going to go back to the way things were. They were going to grow stronger from this, of that she was sure of.

* * *

 **So did I deliver? Were you guys pleased at how things between Anya and Pietro turned out? I would love to hear your thoughts in a review ^_^ (Gossip Girl may have inspired me a little for the apology scene lol). Well, I certainly enjoyed writing this scene and hopefully there will be more to come…or will there? The final battle is coming up next and who knows what could happen ;)**

 **P.S. The next chapter may take a little longer to post because I am currently in the middle of studying for a big exam. Wish me luck!**


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